Leon Goosen is new Bell boss

BELL Equipment has appointed group chief operating officer and executive director Leon Goosen as chief executive designate of the listed manufacturer of heavy equipment for the construction and mining sectors. The company said yesterday that Goosen would succeed current chief executive Gary Bell on his planned retirement. It announced the commencement of a search for a new chief executive in February to take over from Gary Bell when he elected to retire. Goosen was a partner at Deloitte & Touche in South Africa and Namibia prior to joining Bell Equipment in 2007. John Barton, the chairperson of Bell Equipment, said the group was delighted to be able to appoint at the helm of Bell Equipment a successor of Goosen’s calibre. “As chief operating officer Leon has worked very closely with the board and Gary over the past eight years and has made a considerable contribution to the strategic direction of the group. Following an extensive search process where the board considered local and international candidates, we are pleased to appoint an internal candidate that possesses such extensive knowledge of and experience in our industry,” Barton said. – Roy Cokayne