We wouldn't be the company we are today, without our Team. Every Team member brings something unique to the business and they use their years of industry knowledge and expertise to craft products of the highest quality, to fulfil the needs of our customers.
Behind every product and service that we offer, lies our dedicated Team. Bringing forward their own set of industry knowledge and expertise to support our operations within the Fibre Optic industry.
Remarkably, our Production Team boasts a combined service of 215 years within our organisation, a testament to their unwavering dedication and invaluable contributions.
Paul Desmond Managing Director
Paul joined the Fibre Optic industry in 1989 and founded Leader Optec in 1993. Paul sets the strategic vision of the business and oversees all aspects of day-to-day operations.
Laurie Summers HR & Finance Director
Laurie joined Leader Optec in 2008 having already accumulated 25 years of industry experience. Laurie oversees all Finance and HR related aspects of the company.
Mike Lenihan Operations Director
Mike joined Leader Optec in 2013. As Operations Director, Mike manages the day-to-day duties, coordinates production work and oversees all operations of production.
Barry Williams Quality Manager
Barry joined Leader Optec in 2008. As the Quality Manager, Barry is responsible for the Quality Management System within the business and also has responsibilities for technical, engineering and H&S.
Denise Hutton Finance Coordinator
Denise joined Leader Optec in 1999, serving as one of the longest standing members of the Team. Denise works within the Finance Department and oversees sales and purchase processing and administration.
James Burt Procurement and Stock Control Officer
James joined us in 2016 and manages the purchasing requirements of the business. James is the key point of contact for our vendors and for any stock level enquiries.
Emma Summers Procurement and Planning Coordinator
Emma joined us in 2021 as Procurement Coordinator, and has since developed her product and industry knowledge to expand her responsibilities across Planning too.
Gavin Ratcliffe Production Engineer & Product Manager for Assemblies
Gavin joined us in 2004. Applying his technical knowledge and experience, Gavin is responsible for product development, technical specifications and bespoke assembly design.
Vibin Varghese Systems Engineer & Product Manager for Data Centre Solutions
Vibin joined us in 2022, bringing a wealth of technical knowledge. Vibin is responsible for the development of our Data Centre product portfolio and looks after our business systems.
Sam Jenkins Product Manager for FTTH & Tooling
Sam originally worked with us back in 1998 within our production facility. Sam re-joined the team in 2023 as Product Manager for our FTTH products and Tooling range.
Sarah Bolton Sales Office Manager
Sarah joined the team in 2021 as an Account Manager. In her role as Sales Office Manager, she oversees the sales team and provides support to our talented Account Managers.
Sarah Kennerley Marketing Manager
Sarah joined Leader Optec in 2022 having worked in the industry since 2013. Sarah manages the Marketing Team and oversees all aspects of internal and external marketing communications.
Millie Gilbertson Marketing Assistant
Millie joined our team in 2023 and looks after our social media channels and product photography. She also plays a pivotal role with content creation and website maintenance.
