Ascona appoints new director to boost expansion plans

Fast-growing forecourt operator Ascona Group has announced the appointment of Ian Richards as the Director of Construction and Infrastructure, effective from 1 November.

In the newly created role, Richards will support the leadership team achieve Ascona’s ambitious growth strategy of reaching 300 sites across the country within the next five years.

Reporting directly to the chief executive, he will oversee all matters of construction and infrastructure, managing development projects across the portfolio to ensure they are delivered in a safe and timely manner to the highest possible standards.

“I am delighted to welcome Ian to Ascona. He brings a wealth of relevant experience from across our industry and the excellent management skills needed to deliver extensive building projects,” Darren Briggs, chief executive, commented.

“He joins at an exciting point in our journey as we progress the next stage of our growth strategy. I look forward to working with him as we build momentum in our ambition and take Ascona to 300 sites across the UK.”

Richards joins Ascona following an extensive career in the downstream oil industry, having previously worked for Elf Oil, Total UK and Rontec. In his previous roles, he was responsible for managing large scale strategic rebuild and refurbishment projects, leading engineering teams and managing and delivering multi-million pounds investment projects. He has also spent time acting as the custodian of network maintenance budgets for nationwide service station networks.

He will oversee the next phase in Ascona’s strategy to develop the next evolution of roadside retail destinations, as the group seeks to complete 12 knock-down-rebuilds across the portfolio over the next two years and introduces electronic vehicle charging at selected service stations across the country.

“I am very excited to be joining Ascona, a business I know well and have watched closely as it has grown into the nationwide business it is today. I am greatly looking forward to working with Darren and his team as they take Ascona and its unique customer offer to many more people across the country,” Richards said.