Member Article

Parsons Containers Group targets national growth with appointment of managing director

Leading shipping container business Parsons Containers Group has announced the appointment of a new managing director. Damien Murphy joined Parsons at the start of March and is based at the group’s headquarters in Sedgefield, County Durham. Company founder and former MD Ean Parsons has stepped up to the role of CEO and chair of the board.

Damien Murphy is a trained engineer and experienced business leader whose has spent much of his career in the North East, working in the off-shore industry. Damien studied at Cranfield University on its Business Growth Programme and later gained an MBA from Durham University. At the Parsons Containers Group, he will head up the 24-strong team across the firm’s different divisions.

Parsons Containers was founded by Ean Parsons in 2000 and its operations include trading and converting shipping containers, as well as container self-storage under the brand ‘U Hold The Key’. With an annual turnover of over £6m, the company is now one of the UK’s leading suppliers of shipping containers and one of the largest self-storage companies, hosting around 1,500 stores on 11 sites.

In 2018, the Parsons Containers Group secured investment of £825,000 to support the expansion of its operations across the UK. The funding came from Maven Capital Partners, one of the country’s most active private equity houses, through the Finance Durham Fund and the North East Development Capital Fund, which injected £500,000 and £325,000 of capital into the business respectively. Since the investment, Parsons has opened two new sites – on Teesside and near Alnwick – and has plans for more locations during 2020. The appointment of Damien Murphy as managing director will improve the group’s capacity to achieve its key strategic objectives.

Ean Parsons comments: “I am delighted to have secured a managing director of the calibre of Damien to lead the business during the next stage of growth. The knowledge and experience he brings will add considerable strength to the group.”

Damien Murphy adds: “When I met Ean and his team, I was immediately impressed by the strong entrepreneurial culture within the Parsons Containers Group. Combine that with the diversity within the business’s own divisions and the markets that they serve, and it’s clear to me that we have a huge opportunity for growth here. I look forward to building on the firm’s recent achievements, to deliver even greater success in the years ahead.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chris Lines .