Kinaxia creates three senior finance roles

Cheshire-based Kinaxia Logistics has created three senior roles in its finance team.

Sharon Deakin (pictured) has joined as group financial controller. She previously held senior financial and commercial leadership roles at several logistics and warehousing companies, including senior vice-president finance at Ceva Logistics.

She assumes responsibility for financial reporting across all business units within the group and will work closely with the senior leadership team.

Mike Lyons has been appointed group governance director after moving from his post as finance director at AKW Group, which became part of Kinaxia in 2018.

His new role sees him working with MDs, finance directors and sales teams across Kinaxia’s business units with a focus on risk management, compliance and assisting with contractual and service level agreements and new large accounts.

Mike spent 20 years at AKW Group in a variety of finance roles during which the business has increased turnover from £5m to over £30m.

Gary Thompson has joined Kinaxia as regional finance director for the North.

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He assumes finance responsibility for Kinaxia companies AKW Global Logistics and AKW Global Warehousing, Bay Freight, William Kirk and Fresh Freight, and will provide direction and support to their existing finance teams.

He has extensive transport and warehousing sector experience, most recently at Bibby Distribution where he held a number of senior finance roles over seven years. Before that he worked at XPO Logistics Europe and API Group and TDG.

Kinaxia’s group finance director Ben Warrillow said: “Mike, Gary and Sharon have a wealth of expertise and a deep understanding of the industry.

“Their appointments will greatly benefit the wider group by strengthening the capacity and capability of our finance function in line with the increasing breadth and scale of the company.”

Kinaxia comprises 13 freight and logistics businesses with over 1,600 staff and more than 800 vehicles.

The group has two million sq ft of warehouse facilities nationwide, offering contract packing, e-fulfilment, returns management and storage services.

Annual revenues are now approaching £200m and Kinaxia was recently recognised as one of Britain’s leading mid-market private companies with its inclusion in the 16th annual Sunday Times PwC Top Track 250 league table, based on sales.