John Smithies

John Smithies joined Colson Europe in 2014 as the European finance director and earned the additional role of general manager of Colson UK Limited in 2017. Leading the UK and finance team within the European market with more than 20 years of manufacturing experience, Smithies specializes in finance and commercial activities, with strong inventory and working capital management skills.

Prior to joining Colson, he served as a chief financial officer at Gardner Group, a manufacturing business in the aerospace sector based in The Midlands, UK. In this role, Smithies managed the business’ Global Finance function and financing activities. He also served as a strategy planning manager for MG Rover Group, where he was responsible for budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow management.