New chair for West Lothian's Calnex Solutions as tech veteran George Elliott steps down

Linlithgow-based, telecoms-focused Calnex Solutions has announced that tech sector veteran George Elliott is stepping down as its chair after nine years in the post.

The businessman says that since 2007 he has been non-executive chairman/director of more than 20 companies, while his CV also includes senior roles at semiconductor firm Wolfson Microelectronics, hard disk drive specialist Calluna, and manufacturing and support services provider McQueen International.

Prior to the latter he was a partner at accountancy firm Grant Thornton for seven years and specialised in corporate finance.

Aim-quoted Calnex, which in 2020 carried out the first Scottish stock market flotation in two years, said he is being succeeded as chair by current non-executive director Stephen Davidson, effective August 17.

Mr Davidson joined the board of Calnex at the start of this year and the firm describes him as an “accomplished” director of public and private companies, with more than 20 years’ plc board experience. He has previously acted as chair at Aim-quoted companies Actual Experience, RBG Holdings, and Jaywing, and at Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed Datatec.

Mr Elliott said: “When I joined Tommy and the team in 2013 it was evident to me that the future for Calnex was an exciting one. It has been an honour to help guide the business through its subsequent growth and journey onto the public markets.

"I am confident there is a strong board and management team in place and with its outstanding customer base, the ongoing transition of the telecoms industry to 5G and the growth in cloud computing, the future for Calnex is brighter than ever.”

Departing Calnex chair George Elliott says he believes the future for Calnex is 'brighter than ever'. Picture: contributed.

Calnex chief executive Tommy Cook said: “George has been a huge support to me over the past nine years and I and the whole company thank him for his service and wish him all the very best.

"Our new directors, Stephen and Margaret Rice-Jones who joined us in January, have quickly become valued colleagues and we have benefited from their extensive experience and knowledge. I look forward to continuing to work with them both and the wider board to drive Calnex forward.”

The firm, which provides test and measurement offerings for the global telecoms sector, last month cheered a “record” full-year performance, and in April was honoured with two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.