Bristol-based specialist manufacturing and engineering firm Avon Group has appointed Charles Toosey as finance director to support its ambitious growth plans.
Charles, pictured, has high-level experience in financial management and business consulting having joined Avon Group from London-based aluminium manufacturer Alvance, where he has spent the past two years as finance director. 
Prior to that he was an associate director with accountants Grant Thornton in London and has also worked at Swedish car manufacturer Saab.
As Avon Group group finance director, Charles will be responsible for managing its financial performance as the business embarks on its next phase of ambitious growth.
The privately owned, £80m-plus turnover business, which is headquartered on South Liberty Lane, was established in 1979 as Avon Gasket Manufacturing, initially to make a range of gaskets, seals, joints and washers.
Today it is made up of eight individual companies based around the UK and in the US, employing around 600 people.
In recent years it has expanded to become one of the UK’s leading suppliers of automotive and industrial components and a world leader in the development and manufacture of rubber seals for aerosols.
Its acquisition of Corby-based Scandura and Cheltenham-based Edgewest Plastics (UK) over the past two years further strengthened its position in the industrial components market.
Scandura is the longest-established gasket manufacturer in the UK while Edgewest provides high-quality plastic mouldings, primarily to some of the UK’s largest plumbing and bathroom products suppliers.
Avon Group is continuing its acquisition strategy into 2022 as it aims to build on its position as a major player in the UK industrial component manufacturing sector – and it believes Charles’s appointment will be key to supporting this strategy.
Avon Group director Mark Rushin said: “We’re delighted to welcome Charles to the team at a really exciting time for the group.
“We have emerged from the challenges of the pandemic in a strong position and we’re seeing growing demand for our products across the industry sectors we serve.
“Charles’s skills will strengthen the expertise of our management team as we continue with our ambitious growth plans.
“He will be spearheading that growth and I wish him every success in this strategically important role.”
