RS Group appoints vice president and new general manager for recently acquired BPX Group

Kettlewell’s role will be to lead the specialist distributor of industrial automation and control products, which became part of the RS Group in March. He will work closely with the existing management team, as well as former owners Guy and Roger Collins.

Having come from Raaco, an industrial storage solutions provider, where he held the role of chief commercial officer, Kettlewell's experience is robust. He has also previously worked within RS Group as commercial director for the UK and Ireland, overseeing product and supplier management and value-added solutions.

"Liam has a wealth of leadership experience, as well as extensive knowledge of the automation and control industry. I have no doubt that he will hit the ground running, visiting BPX sites across the UK and Ireland to get under the skin of the business and continue to drive the winning customer service for which BPX Group is known," said Raj Patel, MD for RS in the UK and Ireland.

RS Group announced the BPX Group acquisition at the beginning of March. The deal saw it become part of RS Group’s global organisation with circa 8,500 employees. This move has strengthened RS’s automation and control offering.

"I look forward to taking BPX Group into this new chapter, guiding the marriage of RS’s scale and reach with BPX Group’s technical capabilities in automation and control. Our mission is to accelerate growth within the UK and Ireland and I’m excited to be leading it," stated Kettlewell. 

BPX Group operates as a standalone business within RS Group. It has 20 branches and two regional distribution centres across the UK & Ireland. It employs around 230 people across these locations, including the headquarters and primary distribution centre near Leicester. 

www.bpx.co.uk