Finning announces succession plan

Photo: Finning International

Finning International has announced an executive leadership team transition as part of its succession planning process.

The company has appointed current managing director of Finning UK and Ireland Tim Ferwerda to the role of president of Finning Canada.

Ferwerda, who has been managing director of Finning UK and Ireland since 2021, has also worked as director of sales, marketing and distribution for the company.

Before joining Finning, he spent 19 years at Pilkington/NSG Group in a variety of senior positions in sales, after-market and supply chain.

David Primrose, current president of Finning Canada, is set to support the transition and assume the role of executive vice president and chief development officer.

Primrose has held several senior management roles in Canada, the UK, and Ireland over the past 36 years, including executive leadership roles in human resources, mining, and construction in Canada. He was also its chief human resources officer and managing director of Finning UK and Ireland.

Meanwhile, Gary Megarrell, current director of construction industries in the UK and Ireland, will assume the role of managing director of Finning UK and Ireland.

Megarrell was appointed director of construction industries for Finning UK and Ireland in 2023 and, prior to that, director of power systems for Finning UK and Ireland since 2020. 

Primrose, Ferwerda and Megarrell will assume their new roles effective January 1, 2025, and report to Kevin Parkes, president and chief executive officer of Finning.

Parkes said the changes are part of a “thoughtfully developed succession plan and a testament to the deep bench of leadership we have at Finning” and will “accelerate the execution of our strategic plan and position Finning for our next phase of growth.”

He said, “We are excited to welcome Tim to our Canadian operations to reinforce our growth and resilience plans. Tim has led our UK and Ireland operations to capture large infrastructure opportunities, optimised our global digital strategy and built greater resiliency into our UK and Ireland operations.

“His high energy style, strong Caterpillar relationships and robust execution capabilities will be key to meeting today’s challenges and accelerating our growth strategy.”

At the same time, Jane Murdoch, currently executive vice president, chief development and legal officer, is set to retire from the role in early 2025 after supporting the smooth transition of her responsibilities.

She joined Finning in 2016 after more than 25 years at a national law firm and Western Canadian regional law firm, where she practiced business and securities law.

During her time at Finning, she has been general counsel, corporate secretary, chief human resources officer, and most recently, executive vice president and chief development and legal officer.

“Jane has played a critical role in leading our legal, sustainability and people and culture functions during significant board and management succession and business transformation,” Parkes said.

“Jane played an exceptional leadership role during the COVID-19 period and has been instrumental in championing strong governance that will leave a lasting impact on the organisation. “

“We are grateful for her efforts, contributions, and partnership during her time at Finning, and we wish her the very best as she transitions into retirement.”