Vp’s Neil Stothard to retire

11 August 2023

Neil Stothard, Chief Executive of Vp group, has announced that he will be retiring at the end of September.

He has been with Vp since 1997 when he joined as Group Finance Director, later becoming Managing Director in 2004 before transitioning to Chief Executive.

Anna Bielby, currently Chief Financial Officer, will become Chief Executive on 1 September and will work with Neil until then to facilitate an orderly handover. She has been CFO of Vp since 1 January 2023. Her previous roles include Interim CFO at Lookers plc, CFO of KCOM Group plc and a director at PwC. 

Jeremy Pilkington, Chairman of Vp, said: "I want to record my personal thanks to Neil for his service to the company and me since joining Vp in 1997 as Group Finance Director and in 2004 assuming the role of Managing Director and subsequently Chief Executive. 

“Working with Neil to exit the general plant hire sector to focus on a specialist rental offering created the platform for our continued success and growth. Neil's dedication and strong leadership has been central to Vp's prosperity and enables us to look to the future with confidence and optimism.

"We have achieved a great deal over the years with Neil at the helm and on behalf of everyone at Vp I want to wish him the very best in his retirement," he added.