FFEI has appointed Paul Watson as chief operating officer. This is a new role at the Hemel Hempstead based company, created as a result of significant growth over the past 12 months.

Mr Watson will be responsible for driving operational excellence, optimising international business operations, setting up new capabilities and embedding lean manufacturing, all in support of a businesses plan for continued growth.

‘Paul is a seasoned leader who has a history of delivering results. He is uniquely qualified to drive strategic growth, with a focus on operational excellence,’ commented managing director Andy Cook. ‘I’m looking forward to working with him to align FFEI’s world-class engineering excellence with industry-leading operational practices to drive and extend the next-generation of our digital imaging technologies.’

Mr Watson joined the company in January 2019 having previously served as operations, quality and business improvement director at Kelvin Hughes, an international developer, manufacturer and supplier of navigation, surveillance and security radar systems.

‘I have a passion for privately funded, high tech businesses that are fuelled by British engineering excellence,’ Mr Watson explained. ‘I was impressed with how FFEI has consistently innovated in the realm of digital imaging, thanks to an impressive array of talented scientists, engineers and software specialists. Having seen the long-term product and technology road maps and the investments being made, it’s clearly an exciting time to be joining the business. I’m excited by the opportunity to help to grow the business still further.’