WCA March 2023

People

Bill Graham retires from Alloy Wire Bill Graham, an ever-present in Alloy Wire International’s growth, has decided to retire after more than five decades of service.

Mark Venables, Bill Graham and Tom Mander (MD)

Mr Graham’s career saw him start as a maintenance engineer before leading an MBO, overseeing a sale and then bringing the company back into his ownership. The former machine tool engineering apprentice was also instrumental in growing the firm’s international presence, travelling the world to build export sales from nothing to more than half of annual turnover. He has been chairman for the last nine years, providing strategic guidance on growth opportunities and industry developments, and supporting the management team in the firm’s expansion. “When I joined the business in 1972, I never expected to still be involved 50 years later,” said Mr Graham. “Alloy Wire International gets you like that. There’s just something really special about the business and what we do, especially since we took the decision to be employee-owned. That was really the moment we put the marker in the sand and created the unique culture that has seen AWI become a globally trusted supplier of a 60+ strong range of alloys to more than 7,000 customers. “After five decades of involvement, I felt the time was right to call it a day and focus on retirement. What will that look like? Travelling and spending much more time with my wife Sandra, who I first met at AWI in 1974.” Jaxon Lang joins AFL as chief operating officer

Mark Venables, the former managing director who has now taken over as the company’s chairman, commented, “Bill Graham is Alloy Wire International and has had an unbelievable 50 years with the business. I was invited to lead the company in 2010 and have had the honour of guiding it through some major growth and some really difficult times, including the current Covid-19 pandemic.” Mr Graham will continue to be available to offer the company his experience and advice when required. Alloy Wire International www.alloywire.com Beneke

appoints VP/GM Shannon King has been named vice president and general manager of Beneke Wire Company in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Mr King joined Beneke in 2012 as plant manager in charge of the production of round drawn aluminium wire for the cold heading market. He has 28 years’ experience in the aluminium wire industry and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Alabama and an MBA from the University of North Alabama. Beneke manufactures and globally supplies wire, rod, bar and redraw rod in both heat treatable and non-heat treatable aluminium alloys.

and contacts will assist AFL and Fujikura in the future growth of the business.” Mr Lang joins AFL from FiberRise, where he served as the president and CEO, lead ing the company through an acquisition with Entrust Solutions Group. “AFL has proven itself as an industry leader,” said Mr Lang. “I’m looking forward to helping the company reach its long-term goals and its full potential by strengthening its core business operations.” Founded in 1984, AFL is an international manufacturer providing end-to-end so lutions to the energy, service provider, enterprise, hyperscale and industrial mar kets. Its products, in use in more than 130 countries, include fibre optic cable and hardware, transmission and substation accessories, outside plant equipment, connectivity, test and inspection equip ment, fusion splicers and training. AFL also offers a wide variety of services supporting data centre, enterprise, wireless and outside plant applications. Headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA, and with operations in the USA, Mexico, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia, AFL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujikura Ltd of Japan.

AFL has appointed Jaxon Lang as chief operating officer. Mr Lang will report di rectly to Jody Gallagher, president and CEO of AFL, and will oversee the compa ny’s operational performance worldwide. He will focus on leading the company through business transformations while managing the supply chain, commercial sales, marketing and customer service divisions across AFL’s five core markets. “With over 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, Jaxon brings a wealth of knowledge in sales, marketing, product engineering, product management and operations to AFL,” said Mr Gallagher. “Throughout his career, Jaxon has demonstrated the ability to successfully lead and manage businesses through transformations and guide companies through mergers and acquisitions. His broad range of experiences, strong industry knowledge

Beneke Wire Company www.benekewire.com

AFL www.aflglobal.com

Shannon King

Jaxon Lang

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March 2023