People news from the world's rental industry

• An ex-management consultant, Bjorn Larsen (pictured right), has taken over as managing director of Norwegian rental company Utleiecompagniet AS (UCO). His appointment follows the retirement on 1 January of long-standing managing director Arne Bugge.

Mr Larsen also assumes the chairmanship of ED Knutsen Maskin, a sister company to UCO that rents tower cranes.

Mr Larsen, 48, comes to UCO from a management consultancy and has also held management positions in retail, wholesale and rental operations, the latter with Thorns in Oslo where he led its consumer and business electronics rental operation.

Mr Larsen told IRN; “UCO and ED Knutsen both come forward as profitable and well-run operations. Together with my excellent managers and employees, I am looking forward to growing and developing the businesses further.”

Mr Bugge, who has retired having reached the age of 65, will continue to do some work for UCO's parent company, Skanska AS, and will also continue his involvement with the new Norwegian Rental Association.

• Magnus Rosén, Cramo's senior vice president for Scandinavia, is to leave Cramo and the equipment rental industry to join Sweden's BE Group, one of Europe's largest steel and metal trading companies. He will stay at Cramo until early July, or until a replacement is found.

“Although a regrettable decision, the continuity is well provided for”, said Vesa Koivula, Cramo's chief executive officer, “Much to Magnus' credit there is a stable and professional organisation in place to handle the business”.

Mr Rosèn has been responsible for Cramo's Sweden business since he joined the company in 1997, and for the past four years has also be responsible for Denmark and Norway.

Just weeks previously, Cramo had said that Mr Rosèn would start to report directly to Mr Koivula following a management reorganisation that saw Göran Carlson, Cramo's deputy chief executive officer, taking on additional responsibility for business development and strategic planning, including yearly strategic planning and group expansion.

Mr Koivula said; “Göran Carlson will devote most of his time managing the realisation of the ambitious expansion targets set in our strategic plan.”

• Steve Shaughnessy (pictured right) has joined Loxam Access in the UK as its managing director, having left A-Plant in the UK where he was managing director of the Specialist Products business, which included powered access.

“I am looking forward to both the challenges at Loxam as well as spending all of my time on the products that I enjoy best”, he told IRN.

Mr Shaughnessy takes up the post six months after the departure of previous Loxam Access managing director, Andrew Davie.

He has decades of experience in managing equipment rental companies. For almost ten years he led family-owned Shaughnessy Crane Services in the US, which was acquired by NES Rentals, one of the biggest US rental companies. At NES he rose to become chief operating officer before leaving the US to join A-Plant in the UK.

• RSC Holdings Inc, owner of RSC Equipment Rental in the US, has appointed David Mathieson as senior vice president and chief financial officer, replacing Keith Sawottke, who has resigned to pursue other opportunities. Mr Mathieson took up his new post on 2 January.

Mr Mathieson, 53, has over 30 years of financial experience, most recently as senior vice president and chief financial officer of Milwaukee-based Brady Corporation. Before that he spent 20 years with Honeywell International in the US and Europe.

• Larry Silber, previously president of Ingersoll Rand's Utility Equipment business, has become president of Doosan Infracore Portable Power, the new name for the business following the acquisition by Doosan Infracore of Ingersoll Rand's Bobcat, Utility Equipment and Attachments businesses.

In addition, Mr Silber will continue to have responsibility for the acquired businesses' company owned stores, rental and remarketing services globally, and for Bobcat, Portable Power and Attachments operations in Latin America.

Doosan Infracore Portable Power manufactures compressors, generators, lighting towers, breakers, light compaction equipment and concrete products.

• Speedy Space, the accommodation division of Speedy Hire in the UK, has appointed Campbell Rodden (pictured right) as business unit director of its Modular and Site Solutions operations, which specialise in offering a project management service from design to installation. He has over 20 years experience in the temporary accommodation business, including 14 with FB Farquhar (Hires) Ltd, the Scottish-based accommodation business.

Speedy Space has a £50 million (€ 67.2 million) turnover and four business units – Site Solutions, Modular, Welfare and Accommodation.

• On 1 December 2007 Hans-Hasso Kersten (standing in photo) was appointed one of two executive directors at Mateco, the Stuttgart, Germany-based access rental company. Working alongside long-time Mateco chairman Wolfgang Roth (seated), Mr Kersten's primary responsibility will be as financial controller. Mr Roth will take responsibility for marketing, sales and fleet procurement. Before joining Mateco, Mr Kersten was a chief financial officer in the logistics industry for 15 years.

• Hewden in the UK has appointed Malcolm Kershaw as national accounts manager for its accommodation business, with responsibility for a team of 11 area sales managers. Mr Kershaw was previously strategic accounts manager at GE Modular Space in the UK – the accommodation rental business recently acquired by Algeco – and before that had 17 years' sales experience in the materials handling sector.