Meet the Team
Approximately 105 highly skilled engineers, designers, and manufacturing specialists — united by one mission and one obsession: quality that extends the life of your critical energy assets.
Our People
The Expertise Behind Every Bar and Coil
With decades of combined experience across bar and coil design, insulation engineering, and manufacturing, our team brings deep expertise to every project. When you work with Preformed Windings, you get direct access to the specialists who understand your machines and your priorities.
Need fast assistance?
Contact any of our team members directly below, or call our main line at +44 (0) 1709 835200 available 24/7/365.
Governance
Board & Advisors
Strategic oversight and long-term direction for the business.
Andrey Kruglykhin
Chairperson of the Board
Andrey is Founding Partner and CEO of Highgate Capital Management, a London-based long-only investment fund. With a background spanning investment management, fund leadership, and board-level governance, he has served as Chairperson of Preformed Windings since 2020, providing strategic oversight as the business has grown into a globally recognised manufacturer of HV bars and coils.
Pavel Moutchiev
Board Member
Pavel is Founding Partner of Highgate Capital Management and an experienced finance professional with a well-rounded background in investing & banking, private and public debt & equity, accounting & reporting, as well as hands-on involvement with scaling and operating corporate businesses. Pavel serves as a Board Member at Preformed Windings, bringing financial and investment expertise to support the company's long-term growth strategy.
Michael Rendsburg
Advisor to the Board
Michael is a C-level industrial transformation leader with over 12 years of senior executive experience at the Voith Group, including roles as EVP & COO of Voith Hydro and CEO of Voith Paper Projects EMEA. Holding a Master's in Mechatronics from the University of Stuttgart and an Executive MBA from INSEAD, he brings a rare blend of global operations expertise, hydropower and renewable energy knowledge, fostering digital transformation leadership with a proven track record of driving performance and profitable growth in complex industrial environments.
Leadership
Senior Leadership Team
James Stevens
Chief Executive Officer
With a foundation in engineering and a career spanning technical, commercial and leadership roles, James brings a broad perspective to the challenges and opportunities facing modern manufacturing businesses. As CEO of Preformed Windings, he combines technical expertise with commercial insight and strategic leadership. Over more than a decade with the company, he has helped lead a period of sustained expansion during which the business has grown to more than four times its original size, while maintaining a strong focus on customer service, quality and innovation. James holds an MBA from the University of Huddersfield and is a Past President of the Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades (AEMT).
Ghassan Barghouth
Chief Commercial Officer
Ghassan brings over 20 years of senior leadership experience across power generation, oil & gas, and energy transition, including roles as President & CEO of GE Gas Power Systems MENA and VP at Schneider Electric. He joined Preformed Windings in 2025 to lead commercial strategy, drive market expansion, and deepen partnerships with OEMs, service shops, and operators across the global energy sector.
Ben Edwards
Chief Financial Officer
A Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant with a Masters in Mathematics from the University of Sheffield, Ben brings broad financial leadership experience across manufacturing, construction, and deep-tech - most recently as Finance Director at Phasefocus, a PE-backed start-up acquired by Bruker in 2024. He joined Preformed Windings in 2025 to lead the financial operations that underpin our long-term investment in quality and growth.
Matt Whaley
Chief Operating Officer
Matt brings a broad operational leadership background spanning logistics, supply chain, and manufacturing, with senior roles at Amazon and Paack before moving into engineering and procurement. Holding an Executive MBA and a reputation for building high-performing teams, he joined Preformed Windings in 2024 and has quickly become central to ensuring every bar and coil leaves our facilities on time and to the highest standard.
Arwyn Thomas
Chief Technical Officer
Arwyn holds a PhD in Electrical Machine Design from the University of Sheffield and spent over 17 years at Siemens Wind Power and Siemens Gamesa, where he led generator technology development and electromagnetic R&D for next-generation offshore wind turbines. He joined Preformed Windings in 2024, bringing world-class expertise in electrical machine design to drive technical innovation in HV bar and coil manufacturing.
Yildiz Balcioglu
QHSE Manager
Holding an MBA in Industrial Management from Sheffield Hallam University and with a background in engineering, Yildiz brings over 20 years of QHSE and continuous improvement experience across manufacturing environments including JELD-WEN and BLE. She joined Preformed Windings in 2023 and maintains the quality, health, safety, and environmental standards our customers depend on while also representing Preformed globally as a mentor in the Women in Hydropower Mentorship Programme.
Sales & Partnership
Your Direct Line to Our Sales Team
The first port of call for technical fit, scoping, and partnership discussions.
Andy Small
Partnerships Development Manager
Andy brings a strong background in technical sales and engineering across the energy and industrial sectors, with previous roles at Dunlop Oil & Marine, NTG Precision Engineers, Dyer Engineering, and Michell Bearings. That breadth of experience - spanning customer support, technical sales, and project management - gives him a practical understanding of what OEMs, service companies, and end-users actually need from a manufacturing partner. Andy joined Preformed Windings in late 2025 and works across the UK, building long-term partnerships rooted in technical fit and reliability.
Holly Johnson
Partnership Development Manager
Holly joined Preformed Windings in 2024, bringing over seven years of operational and leadership experience at a Sheffield-based manufacturer, where she progressed from Production Operator to Production Shift Manager, alongside five years of sales experience. Holly combines a strong operational foundation with a people-first approach. Having moved into Partnership Development in late 2025, she now works with customers across the global energy sector, helping them connect technical requirements to the right bar and coil specification.
Stuart Whitfield
Business Improvement Leader
Stuart brings over 30 years of experience in electro-mechanical repairs and rotating machinery, including three decades at Houghton International where he developed deep expertise across power generation, renewables, oil & gas, and rail. He joined Preformed Windings in 2019 and works across customer and internal teams to continuously improve processes, lead times, and the value delivered on every project.
Natalia Egorova
Marketing / Sales Support
Natalia brings a background in financial and corporate communications. She joined Preformed Windings in 2026, supporting the development of technical marketing and industry engagement as Preformed grows its presence across the global energy sector.
Tendering & Proposals
Detailed Quotations and Technical Proposals
The team that translates your specification into a costed, deliverable proposal.
Ben Maynard
Principal Proposals Engineer
Ben brings nearly two decades of specialist experience in HV insulation and electrical winding design, with previous roles at Brush Electrical Machines and Quartzelec before joining Preformed Windings. Holding an MBA from the University of Birmingham and an MRes in Innovative Manufacturing from Cranfield, he combines deep technical knowledge with strong commercial awareness leading the proposals process to ensure every project receives an accurate, expertly specified response.
Technical
Engineering and Design
The specialists behind every bar and coil specification, from concept through to manufacturing release.
Martyn Widdowson
Chief Engineer
Martyn leads our technical team, providing expert guidance on bar and coil design, insulation selection, and performance optimisation for customer applications.
Wilson Onazi
Product Engineer
Wilson works on bar and coil product development, supporting technical specification and customer-specific design requirements.
Samyuktha Muthukumaran
Design Engineer
Samyuktha supports the design of bars and coils to customer slot dimensions and operating conditions, working closely with the technical and proposals teams.
Operations
Manufacturing and Procurement
The team that turns engineering specifications into reliable, consistently manufactured product.
Josef Allen
Operations Manager
Josef manages our manufacturing operations across both Rotherham facilities, ensuring efficient production and consistent quality output.
Jac Pearce
Engineering & Facilities Maintenance Manager
Jac ensures our manufacturing equipment and facilities are maintained to the highest standard, supporting consistent production quality.
Richard Cork
Head of Procurement
Richard ensures we source only the highest quality copper and insulation materials from the industry's most respected suppliers.
People & Culture
Supporting Our People
The function that builds the environment in which our teams and our business thrive.
Sarah Beauchamp
Human Resources Manager
With 25 years of HR experience across manufacturing, logistics, and retail, Sarah is a skilled Advanced Practitioner in Employment Law with a strong focus on people, performance, and culture. She joined Preformed Windings in 2025, bringing previous senior HR roles at DB Cargo, ZERON, and JELD-WEN, and a genuine commitment to building environments where people and businesses thrive.
And approximately 105 more specialists behind every bar and coil
Our manufacturing team includes skilled winding technicians, insulation specialists, quality inspectors, and testing engineers — each one contributing to the reliability of the bars and coils that protect your critical infrastructure. We invest continuously in training and development because the quality of our people directly determines the quality of your assets.
Ready to Talk to Our Team?
Whether you have an emergency requirement or want to discuss a long-term partnership, our team is available 24/7/365.