Equip outdoor technologies ltd
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Our other offices

Lowe Alpine Office (Cumbria)

 

US Office (Colorado)
& International
(non-European)
Sales

 

 

 

CEO - Matt Gowar

As founder and driving force of Equip Outdoor Technologies Matt juggles the demands of running an expanding business with limited leisure time out on the water.

matt.gowar@equipuk.com

 

Matt Gowar

Financial Director - Ryan Bennett

Ryan Bennett

Ryan has a corporate finance background with KPMG and BDO and has worked with clients in the retail and wholesale sector for the last 10 years or so.  Ryan is a keen skier, but spends more time on the Hill at Cheltenham racecourse than on the mountain.

ryan.bennett@equipuk.com 

 

 

Group Sales and Marketing Director - Neil McAdie


Neil McAdie


Neil is responsible for the UK Field Sales team and Key National Accounts and he oversees the UK Customer Services team. He's also responsible for all European and Scandinavian sales. He mixes time in the office with visits to key accounts throughout the territory.  Neil has worked in the outdoor industry since 1990 and also has a strong climbing and mountaineering background in the UK, Europe, the Americas and Himalaya.

neil.mcadie@equipuk.com

     

The Design Team

 

Tim Jasper

 

Tim Jasper
Tim is our Head of Design. Tim's early years saw some magical trips climbing in Scotland and the Alps. Since then he feels very lucky to have trekked and travelled in the Himalaya, South America and Africa - amongst other destinations. An early advocate of the 'fast and light' approach to hill-going he has competed in numerous mountain marathons where he generally tried not to get too lost! Tim is also a keen cyclist and has wisely opted not to discriminate between the off-road, road and touring tribal loyalties.

tim.jasper@equipuk.com  


Helen Roberts




Heather Knott

Helen Robinson
Design Manager for the Rab® brand, Helen had several years outdoor retail experience before switching to a career in design. She's a keen climber and surfer though freely admits she's not good at either!

helen.robinson@
equipuk.com

 

Ben Manwaring
Ben comes from a product design background, with his interests being climbing, scrambling, hillwalking and mountain biking he'd wanted to get into the outdoor industry for a while - he's managed it as he's now our equipment designer.

ben.manwaring@
equipuk.com

 

Heather Knott
Heather is a keen road cyclist, who's ridden & completed the Etape du Tour - including climbing the iconic Mont Ventoux . She recently moved back to be close to The Peak District and wonders why she ever went away!
She is often to be found cycling up the hills in the peaks or on the 40km route home from Equip, daylight & snow permitting!

heather.knott@
equipuk.com



Ronnie Legg Rab Carrington Pete O'Donovan

Veronica Legg
R
onnie is our Junior Product Developer, she is involved in all aspects of the design department, both development and production. She has a Masters degree in Clothing & Product Development from Manchester Met and has won 2 industry awards.

veronica.legg@
equipuk.com

Rab Carrington
As a guru of technical clothing and sleeping bag design, original founder of the Rab® brand and respected climber for 30 years Rab remains an occasional consultant on our range development and detail.  Rab is still climbing, harder than ever.

Pete O'Donovan
Pete is a lifelong climber, product designer and original founder of the Podsacs brand.  Pete is now a consultant and advisor to us on Podsacs design and splits his time between the climbing areas of the Peak District and Northern Spain.  He is also an accomplished climbing photographer, look out for his photos in UK and European climbing magazines.

 


Garment Technology


Hayley Allsebrook

Jane Grimshaw
 

Hayley Allsebrook
Hayley came to Equip after several years in the field of garment technology and is a valuable part of the Equip design team.

hayley.allsebrook@
equipuk.com

Jane Turnbull
After 11yrs, this self-confessed fabric geek has finally relinquished her 'perpetual student' status. She can now be found undertaking any of the following….hillwalking, running, extreme gardening and occasionally messing about in boats.

jane.turnbull@
equipuk.com

 

 

David Pridmore Alison Atkins  

David Pridmore
David has worked in the outdoor industry for many years, including time at Lowe Alpine before it was part of the Equip family. He’s now part of the Equip garment technology department working on clothing in the Rab® brand.

david.pridmore@
equipuk.com

 

Alison Atkins
Info coming soon

alison.atkins@equipuk.com

 

The Sales Team

Trade sales are serviced by a combination of Area Sales Managers on the road supported by our internal sales office. 

 
Sales Office Manager - Matt Clarke


Matt Clarke

 

 

Matt has worked in the Outdoor Industry since leaving university. He enjoyed a few years of competitive cycling before settling nicely into middle age! He's now happy to spend his free time cycling around the Peak District on road and off but he'll take part in any other outdoor pursuits that present themselves!

matt.clarke@equipuk.com

 

National Accounts
Manager - UK

Chris Vanderhoven

Area Sales Manager -
Scotland & the Lakes


Ian Cowie

Area Sales Manager -
Ireland


Paul Innes

Chris Vanderhoven
Chris is an all round outdoors guy, he climbs, mountain bikes and snowboards and apparently loves llamas!

chris.vanderhoven@
equipuk.com


Ian Cowie
Ian tours the Highlands talking about outdoor kit - some people would pay to do that yet we pay him! Easy life! With wide ranging industry experience and a strong ski background Ian works across all of our brands.

ian.cowie@equipuk.com


Paul Innes
Paul is our sales agent for both Eire and Northern Ireland across all of the Equip brands.  Paul has a strong background in technical equipment sales at both retail and supply level and brings great experience to our team.  Paul remains a committed rock climber, dodging the rain in Ireland!

paul.innes@equipuk.com

 

Area Sales Manager -
Southern England & South Wales


Area Sales Manager - North Wales, Northern England & the Midlands

 
Becky McMurren coming soon  

Becky McMurren
Becky is our Area Manager in the South of England and South Wales. She has worked in a sales role in the South West for Lowe Alpine and in the South for Rab in a training role but will now be spending her time as the Southern area Sales Manager for Rab®.

Rebecca.McMurren@
equipuk.com


Info coming soon

 

Assistant Sales Office Manager


Sales Office Contact -
Senior Sales Administrator


Sales Office Contact

Gareth Vickers Declan McGing Dan Winter

Gareth Vickers
Gareth's main interests are running, he's competed in several half and full Marathons, both on and off road. He also enjoys cycling, (both road and mountain biking) and has competed in cross country races, endurance events and local road races. He's also a very keen mountaineer and climber, having climbed all over the UK. Gareth looks after the accounts in Norway, Spain, New Zealand and Australia

gareth.vickers@
equipuk.com

Declan McGing
In his spare time Dec admits to being quite lazy, watching films and reading books but after getting a mountain bike he's trying to change this.
Dec is responsible for our UK accounts with multiple stores.

declan.mcging@
equipuk.com

 

Dan Winter
Another recruit from a specialist outdoor retail background Dan provides the sales office support for the USA and Canada. When not at work Dan can be found mountain biking in our local Peak District or falling off a Gritstone crag!

dan.winter@equipuk.com


Sales Office Contact

Sales Office Contact

Sales Office Contact


Matthew Usherwood

Stephen Blacket

Connor O’ Grady

Matthew Usherwood
Matt is a keen climber and likes sport routes and bouldering. He enjoys weekends away, getting lost on the hills and having mini ‘epics’! He occasionally dips into photography and loves traveling. Oh and he hates height! Matt is the sales office contact for the South of England plus France, Denmark and the Pro User BAIML accounts.

Matt.Usherwood@
equipuk.com
 

 

Stephen Blacket
Stephen is the Sales Office contact for the UK Midlands, Italy, Finland and the Pro Deal accounts. He is an avid boulderer who has travelled the world seeking out the best problems. He can usually be found pulling on pebbles in the Peak District or training on his own board.

stephen.blacket @equipuk.com


Connor O’ Grady
Connor is another one of our climbing addicts and has climbed all over Britain and Europe, both rock and winter climbing. His ambition is to be involved in a major climbing expedition in years to come but for now he’s working in the Equip sales office dealing with the UK North, Ireland, Sweden and the Pro User AMI accounts.

Connor.O'Grady@
equipuk.com
 

 

Tech Rep / Retail Staff Trainers
Our Tech Reps provide specialist staff training throughout the UK for both Rab® and Lowe Alpine.

North UK
Stu Hitcham
South UK
Will Managhan
Central UK
Stephen Bennett

Stu Hitcham
Stu has been interested in outdoor pursuits since the age of 11 and achieved all levels of the Duke of Edinburgh award, even having the award presented by the Duke and Alan Hinkes! He's been an outdoor instructor and worked in outdoor retail at management level. Stu trains specialist outdoor stores throughout the north of the UK.

stuart.hitcham@
equipuk.com

 

Will Managhan
Will is strategically based in Bristol a couple of hours drive from some of the best wild spaces, National parks, Climbing areas and surfing spots in the South of the UK. He is also based within a couple of minutes from his local climbing wall (useful). A really keen climber and runner Will recently competed in the 2012 Snowdon International Fell race. Will now puts his experience to great use training staff in the south of the UK.

will.managhan@
equipuk.com

 

Stephen Bennett
Stephen used to be a 'rock jock' but is now a reformed road cyclist.  He once hitched from Swansea to Harris Island and back to climb “The Scoop”.  He enjoys being in the hills whether climbing, biking or walking and is also quite partial to a weeks skiing.

stephen.bennett@
lowealpine.co.uk


European Sales

Benelux Office

Benelux

Sales Agent Norway

Bjorn Kruse

Sales Agent Italy

Pierluigi Marengon

Equip Benelux BV
For details on our team in Benelux go to
www.equipuk.com/benelux/

 

Bjørn Kruse
Giant Norwegian ski-god and sales agent for Rab® and outdoordesigns in Norway. Bjørn loves steep couloirs, outdoordesigns gloves and beautiful women, but not necessarily in that order!

info@topptur.com

Pierluigi Marengon
Pierluigi is our contact for all Italian sales.

pierluigi@vikingnordpool.com

Sales Agent France

Jonathan Caffyn

Sales Agent France

Pierre Villora

Sales Agent Spain

Marc de Bruyn

Jonathan Caffyn
Jonathan is one of our contacts for French sales.

info@toprock.fr

Pierre Villora
Pierre is one of our contacts for French sales.

info@toprock.fr

Marc de Bruyn
Madrid based Marc de Bruyn (the guy on the right) has a successful career in the outdoor industry and now manages all the Rab® Sales and Marketing activities in Spain and Portugal.  Marc is pleased to have great support from a leading Spanish climber Pedro Cifuentes (on the left) who uses his big wall climbs to help transmit the soul and spirit of Rab®..

outdoor@anyde.com

Sales Agent Switzerland (French speaking Swiss)

David Michellod

   

David Michellod
Info coming soon

 

 

   


Marketing



Georgina Reed

 

Nikki Skinner
Marketing Manager Nikki has worked in the outdoor industry for a while and is a self confessed gear freak! She is happiest outdoors whether cycling, running, climbing, mountaineering or having a coffee and reading the papers.

nikki.skinner@
equipuk.com

 

Georgina Reed
George is our graphic designer and joined us after several years of agency and in-house experience. Putting her degree in graphic design to use she works on packaging, adverts, POS and catalogues but at the weekends can be found walking the local hills of the Peak District. After 9 years of working at Equip she jokes that she can draw the Rab® logo backwards in her sleep!

georgina.reed@
equipuk.com

 




Dan Thompson

Anna Clark
 

Dan Thompson
Dan had previously worked in our sales office but is now a member of the marketing team, he joined Equip from a background in retail and could lay claim to be the fittest member of our team with a 100km round trip cycle across the Peak District to work each day.  Seen here competing in the Fred Whitton race in the Lake District.

dan.thompson@
equipuk.com

 

Anna Clark
When not taking photos or designing something, Anna can be found climbing, running, mountaineering, skiing, cycling or anything that makes her red-faced. Originally from Canada Anna has worked in the outdoor industry for many years.

Anna.Clark@equipuk.com

 


Customer Services

Hallam Catton Jackie Bramhall
Customer Services Manager

Info coming soon

Hallam Catton
Hallam has recently moved from the accounts department into customer services. Finding a picture of him without a beer in hand was quite an achievement!

hallam.catton@equipuk.com

 

Jackie Bramhall
Jackie also works in the Customer Services department and can be found talking to people on the phone all day about their Rab kit,
Rachel Brown
Rachel Brown

Karen Topham
 
Rachel and Karen work in the Rab® factory on repairs and also expedition clothing.

Finance

Rose Moore

Claire Timms

Beth Edwards

Rose Moore
Rose has overall responsibility for daily monitoring of our financial systems. When not at work Rose is our top golfer and often found out on the fairway...or bunker! As she pays all of our wages she's a really, really top woman!

rose.moore@equipuk.com

 

Claire Timms
Claire is our Management Accountant and has over 15 years accounting experience, now specialising in both management information
and financial accounting (keeping the audit team happy!) When she's not at work she's busy being a Mum but she manages to find a couple of hours a week to play netball for a local team.

Claire.Timms@
equipuk.com

 

Beth Edwards
As well as being our Assistant Accountant Beth can be found developing her position as our number one party animal.

beth.edwards@equipuk.com

Andrew Wood

Ashton Clay-Gratton

Joss Bevan

Andrew Wood
Andy is our Credit Controller but outside of work he’s up for anything involving cardio fitness! He loves running, racket sports and karate and is seen in his photo after a very muddy 10k race last year.

andrew.wood@equipuk.com

Ashton Clay-Gratton
Info coming soon

Ashton.Clay-Gratton@
equipuk.com

 

Joss Bevan
Info coming soon

joss.bevan@equipuk.com

 


Human Resources


Donna Evans

 

Donna Evans
Donna is our Group HR Manager. She has over 8 years experience in Human Resources and holds the (CIPD) Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management, gained at the Nottingham Trent University. She juggles working at Equip with being a mum but usually manages to find a bit of spare time to socialise with friends  in her local town.

donna.evans@equipuk.com


Personal Assistant


Sarah Huskinson

Sarah Huskinson
Although Sarah comes from a background of managing bars she doesn’t just sit around drinking cocktails all day. She ran the Prague Marathon last year, has done a couple of half marathons and is looking out for the next half marathon to run. She enjoys the outdoors, her profile picture shows her climbing Franz Josef in New Zealand and she’s even jumped out of the odd plane…but she does also enjoy a good cocktail!

Sarah.Huskinson@equipuk.com

 

 


Buying


Steve Bridges Miles Herbert Christopher Dewsbury

Steve Bridges
Steve is the company buyer, he's responsible for ...buying! He can often be found climbing the walls!

steve.bridges@
equipuk.com

Miles Herbert
Miles has been actively involved in the buying and merchandising departments of several retailers since finishing uni nearly 20 years ago.  Before joining Equip he’d spent the last two years sourcing licenced t-shirts, underwear and socks out of China, Turkey and India.  He spends most weekends bouldering, climbing or mountain biking in the Peak District (when not on family duties) and he loves snowboarding. After a 25 year break he’s just started skiing again!

miles.herbert@
equipuk.com

Christopher Dewsbury
Chris has recently bought a bike and can often be found cycling off into the distance trying to counteract sitting in front of a computer at his desk all day.

christopher.dewsbury@
equipuk.com

Caron Pledge Katherine Dolby  

Caron Pledge
Caron splits her time between working in the buying department and being a busy mum. We’re not sure which one is most demanding!

caron.pledge@
equipuk.com

Katherine Dolby
Info coming soon

katherine.dolby@
equipuk.com

 
 


Operations

 

Lee Bridges Samantha Mills Pete McLennan

Lee Bridges
Group Operations Manager Lee has full responsibility for the warehouse and factory. He cruelly extracts every last gram of effort out of our experienced staff members ensuring consistently high quality.

lee.bridges@equipuk.com

 

Samantha Mills
Sam joins Equip as Assistant to the Operations Manager. Prior to her 5 years spent in sunny Spain, she had worked in a background of Opertions & Logistics for over 10 years. When she gets some spare time she will be either visting her family in her home town or socialising, which is normally at the bar with her favourite drink!

sam.mills@equipuk.com 

Pete McLennan
Pete is the Warehouse Supervisor. To say he’s an outdoor enthusiast is probably an understatement! He climbs, he mountaineers, he goes ski touring and he hopes to qualify for his free-fall parachute license before he’s 30! On the odd occasion when he’s not being active he’ll sit down to his favourite meal of a Nestle Crunch and a Mountain Dew!

Pete.McLennan@
equipuk.com

 


Factory
With a long established and respected reputation our UK factory is a centre of excellence on specialist down production, housing cutting, sewing, down filling and a quality assurance facility. This enables us to produce short run specialist expedition clothing and continue to hand fill all Rab® down sleeping bags on our own premises in Derbyshire.

 


Dave Cunningham

 


Lester Allcock

 

Dale Lynk
Dale Lynk


Damien Wilkinson

Damien Wilkinson

Andy McCartney

Andy McCartney


Richard Palmer

Mark Naylor
 
Richard Palmer Mark Naylor  


The lads are our experienced down fillers ensuring consistent and controlled filling of all down sleeping bags at our factory in Derbyshire.


 

Warehouse
David Naylor Richard Webster Danny Hudson

David Naylor

David is a valuable member
of the warehouse team, even
if he does support Notts County!

Richard Webster

Richard is an Alfreton Town fan and a proud season ticket holder...even though in his photo he's wearing a Nottingham Forest shirt!

Danny Hudson

‘Angry Danny’ is yet another football fan but we’re not sure if supporting Leicester City is what makes him angry!

Neil Sims

Colin Brooks

Nigel Fletcher

Neil Sims
Neil is yet another football fan, as a supporter of Derby County it's as though each member of the warehouse has to support a different team!

Colin Brooks
Yes you guessed it, another football fan, this time it's Mansfield Town. Colin is also a big horse racing fan but also loves spending time with his family.

Nigel Fletcher
Nigel likes to spend his time outside of work going for a good Indian meal, he manages to fit that in around looking after the 6 cats which have currently made themselves at home at his house!