Meet JLA’s in-house experts
Advice and support from award-winning professionals who understand your challenges.
Helen Buchan
JLA’s infection control expert, Helen is always seeking ways to bring new solutions to infection control challenges, and is also passionate about sourcing the best range of products to help customers stay compliant, reduce energy consumption and costs.
Learning, research and development are central to Helen’s role – having led extensive testing of our products, she has an unrivalled understanding of what works best for our customers, as well as the ever-shifting regulations that impact them.
George Barclay
Head of Installations George joined JLA as an apprentice service engineer in 2011. With years of experience in plumbing, engineering, electrical and mechanical engineering, he oversees the delivery of safe, compliant installations.
George is Gas qualified for both laundry and COMCAT 1, 2, 3, 5, and holds IOSH Managing Safety and 17th edition accreditation.
Robert Ackland
Chief Technology Officer Robert focuses on JLA customer experience, applying his extensive experience at US tech giants and Silicon Valley start-ups.
Robert drives investment in digital technology to ensure our services are both efficient and secure. Since joining in 2022, he’s led the commercialisation of our JLA Connect monitoring technology, and introduced our myJLA customer portal to make life even simpler for our customers.
Peter Westwell
A fully qualified electrical and gas catering engineer, Peter brings a wealth of knowledge to JLA after previously owning his own successful catering equipment business.
Now as Catering Project Manager at JLA, Peter helps organisations of all sizes choose the most energy-efficient, cost-effective equipment and support for their needs.
Mark Bone
Since joining JLA in December 2019, Mark has led JLA Fire and Security to success as Director of Operations.
With an extensive technical background, Mark advises customers with his wealth of fire safety and security knowledge. His experience spans technical, commercial, customer service and operational roles delivering a well-rounded service for JLA clients.
Olivia Nolan
Olivia has been supporting some of the UKs largest care providers for over 10 years and is also the sector specialist for care.
Olivia has an excellent understanding of the commercial and technical requirements of care homes, having overseen many contract mobilisations and contract deliveries.
Along with a drive to help make sure your critical equipment is running smoothly, Olivia’s primary mission is to work with customers to find the right solutions to your challenges.
Michael Smith
After six years with JLA, Michael leads our facilities management division and personally manages some of the UK’s biggest NHS trusts and largest companies.
Michael’s priority is to protect business continuity for every JLA customer, while helping clients achieve their sustainability goals through technical advice and support. He’s particularly focused on the roll-out of new infection control technologies and digital solutions that reduce downtime.
Paul Burton
After 35+ years working in the construction market, Paul continues to focus on building strong partnerships with contractors and architects nationwide.
In recent years, Paul has specialised in sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint of projects. He is passionate about driving change and creating a cleaner future for our children. You can rely on Paul to ensure delivery of the right products with the best service.
Aaron Butler
Aaron has worked at JLA for 5 years and specialises in supporting Housing Associations and Local Authorities with compliance. Aaron provides tailored solutions to streamline processes and drive operational excellence, specialising in understanding the complex needs and requirements of housing associations, Local Authorities (LOA), and the residents they serve.
With a keen awareness of the evolving regulatory landscape, Aaron remains proactive and informed about the latest developments in housing.
He has a particular interest in key areas such as Social Value, Tenant Satisfaction Measures, and Awaab’s Law, ensuring that his approach aligns with best practices and emerging changes.
Joshua Finch
For the past 5 years, Joshua has been leading JLA’s Government and NHS division, overseeing our largest government contracts.
Passionate about delivering innovative solutions, he has prioritised compliance, reducing downtime, and providing innovative solutions.
With a wealth of experience in tailoring solutions to specific needs, Joshua is committed to delivering operational excellence through a collaborative and consultative approach.
Kathryn Glover
Kathryn Glover is the Managing Director for JLA’s HVAC division, responsible for the end-to-end functions, service, and performance. She has extensive experience in Continuous Improvement where she worked on a variety of projects enhancing processes whilst improving service to customers.
Her background at JLA includes service delivery, implementation of scheduling platforms, digital projects, contracts management, billing functions and customer services. Kathryn has worked across multiple departments, including laundry, catering, fire safety and now is responsible for JLA’s HVAC division.
Kristian Gabor
Kristian is on a mission to support clients across the education sector with his expertise in catering and laundry equipment, and keen focus on sustainability.
Celebrated for his passion and strong relationships with local combined authorities, trusts, colleges and universities, Kristian understands the sector’s unique needs and loves to deliver tailored advice and assistance.
Giovanna Eaton
Giovanna has worked at JLA for six years and has a wide range of experience working with our laundry and catering customers to help them keep compliant.
Her day-to-day role includes advising customers what action is required to maintain compliance with current legislation and regulations.
Whether it is commercial canopy maintenance in accordance with TR19 standards or gas-safety checks to keep your boiler rooms, kitchens and equipment safe, Giovanna has a wealth of expertise, advice and tips for businesses across the UK.
Kane Downes
Kane Downes is the Lead Air Conditioner Installer in JLA’s HVAC team.
During his career at JLA, he has managed multiple large installations, including projects exceeding values of £1 million in revenue. He is known as a perfectionist and works closely with customers to ensure the project has been completed with maximum attention to detail.
Part of his role includes developing younger engineers and apprentices to provide them with a platform to build confidence and a stronger skillset.
Ricky Cook
Ricky Cook is the Regional Operations Manager in JLA’s fire safety and security division. He joined the JLA Group in 2017 and has overseen in excess of 50 large scale projects, from architectural design stages through to completion of the installation and onward maintenance.
He has a wealth of experience in advising customers with bespoke smoke control systems keep their organisation compliant. He obtained IFC Certification for JLA Fire and Security to cement our commitment to compliance within the smoke control sector.
Ricky has been part of the Smoke Control Association for several years and played key parts within working groups who release white paper guidance often referred to by the Government and regulatory bodies.
JLA Expert video guides
Learn from JLA’s expert authors about how to make energy savings, keep compliant and improve efficiencies with our handy easy-to-follow video guides.
JLA Expert Videos
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Get up-to-date on all areas of laundry equipment, catering, heating, fire safety and infection control with our experts’ views and tips on saving energy and money.
New SCA white paper: smoke control maintenance for compliance
Your useful guide to LEV systems
How to maximise the benefits of CCTV in your business
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Key insights across different industry sectors, product categories to help your business
Our experts regularly contribute informative posts and news on all areas of laundry equipment, catering, heating, fire safety and infection control. It’s also worth exploring the Energy Smart Hub for informed views and tips on saving energy and money as bills continue to rise.
