Darren Kesterton has joined Nationwide, the UK's leading powered access rental company, as Regional Manager for the North West. He brings with him over 12 years of powered access hire experience, having previously been a Regional Director for PTP.

Commenting on his reasons for moving to Nationwide he says: "You cannot be in the powered access business without being aware of Nationwide. For several years I had envied the company's determination to make things happen, its investment record and the commitment it has to customers and staff alike." He continues: "When the opportunity came to join Nationwide, I jumped at it. In the short time I have been here, I have seen what it actually means to be really focused on customer service and meeting the market's needs."

Darren (32) is married and has a five-year-old daughter, Olivia. He and his wife, Gilly, live in Atherton, conveniently close to his beloved Old Trafford - the home of Manchester United - and Nationwide's Manchester West depot. In his spare time, Darren polishes-up his eight handicap at golf.

Nationwide is part of the publicly-quoted Lavendon Group Plc and is headquartered in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. Its hire fleet is twice the size of its nearest UK competitor and all of the company's depots comply with Nationwide's ISO 9002 accreditation. The Group is also market leader in the European powered access market, trading under the name Zooom in Germany, France, Spain and Austria.

END

June 2002 Nat2.038