the team
Our Leadership Team
The Rothen Group is made up of hundreds of hardworking staff, Here we take a look at The Rothen Group leadership Team

Ian Rothen
Managing Director


Ian is the heart of the business on which everything else revolves. He is leader of innovation, drive and knowledge and takes pride in the team delivering and achieving their best. Not shy from getting his hands dirty he loves nothing more than getting on site whether installing piles or sand bag walling to complex lifts and grinding boats, he leads from the front. Ian navigates by canals and his passion for restoring old workboats continues to grow.
Interesting fact: He loves playing the guitar and all things 60’s.

Charlotte Rothen
Director


Ian is the heart of the business on which everything else revolves. He is leader of innovation, drive and knowledge and takes pride in the team delivering and achieving their best. Not shy from getting his hands dirty he loves nothing more than getting on site whether installing piles or sand bag walling to complex lifts and grinding boats, he leads from the front. Ian navigates by canals and his passion for restoring old workboats continues to grow.
Interesting fact: He loves playing the guitar and all things 60’s.

Russell Sweet
Head of Workshop


Ian is the heart of the business on which everything else revolves. He is leader of innovation, drive and knowledge and takes pride in the team delivering and achieving their best. Not shy from getting his hands dirty he loves nothing more than getting on site whether installing piles or sand bag walling to complex lifts and grinding boats, he leads from the front. Ian navigates by canals and his passion for restoring old workboats continues to grow.
Interesting fact: He loves playing the guitar and all things 60’s.

Joe Kiteley
Head of Contracting & Aquatic Vegetation Management


Ian is the heart of the business on which everything else revolves. He is leader of innovation, drive and knowledge and takes pride in the team delivering and achieving their best. Not shy from getting his hands dirty he loves nothing more than getting on site whether installing piles or sand bag walling to complex lifts and grinding boats, he leads from the front. Ian navigates by canals and his passion for restoring old workboats continues to grow.
Interesting fact: He loves playing the guitar and all things 60’s.

Dan Harding
Head of Marine Plant Hire


Ian is the heart of the business on which everything else revolves. He is leader of innovation, drive and knowledge and takes pride in the team delivering and achieving their best. Not shy from getting his hands dirty he loves nothing more than getting on site whether installing piles or sand bag walling to complex lifts and grinding boats, he leads from the front. Ian navigates by canals and his passion for restoring old workboats continues to grow.
Interesting fact: He loves playing the guitar and all things 60’s.

David Hutchinson
Head of Finance


Ian is the heart of the business on which everything else revolves. He is leader of innovation, drive and knowledge and takes pride in the team delivering and achieving their best. Not shy from getting his hands dirty he loves nothing more than getting on site whether installing piles or sand bag walling to complex lifts and grinding boats, he leads from the front. Ian navigates by canals and his passion for restoring old workboats continues to grow.
Interesting fact: He loves playing the guitar and all things 60’s.

Kathryn Hudson
Head of SHEQ & TRG Marinas


Ian is the heart of the business on which everything else revolves. He is leader of innovation, drive and knowledge and takes pride in the team delivering and achieving their best. Not shy from getting his hands dirty he loves nothing more than getting on site whether installing piles or sand bag walling to complex lifts and grinding boats, he leads from the front. Ian navigates by canals and his passion for restoring old workboats continues to grow.
Interesting fact: He loves playing the guitar and all things 60’s.

Martin Rourke
IT/Software & Estates


Ian is the heart of the business on which everything else revolves. He is leader of innovation, drive and knowledge and takes pride in the team delivering and achieving their best. Not shy from getting his hands dirty he loves nothing more than getting on site whether installing piles or sand bag walling to complex lifts and grinding boats, he leads from the front. Ian navigates by canals and his passion for restoring old workboats continues to grow.
Interesting fact: He loves playing the guitar and all things 60’s.

Stuart Paxton
Research & Development Engineer


Ian is the heart of the business on which everything else revolves. He is leader of innovation, drive and knowledge and takes pride in the team delivering and achieving their best. Not shy from getting his hands dirty he loves nothing more than getting on site whether installing piles or sand bag walling to complex lifts and grinding boats, he leads from the front. Ian navigates by canals and his passion for restoring old workboats continues to grow.
Interesting fact: He loves playing the guitar and all things 60’s.

Mitch Baker
Contracting Manager


Ian is the heart of the business on which everything else revolves. He is leader of innovation, drive and knowledge and takes pride in the team delivering and achieving their best. Not shy from getting his hands dirty he loves nothing more than getting on site whether installing piles or sand bag walling to complex lifts and grinding boats, he leads from the front. Ian navigates by canals and his passion for restoring old workboats continues to grow.
Interesting fact: He loves playing the guitar and all things 60’s.

Tracy Thorpe
Plant Manager


Ian is the heart of the business on which everything else revolves. He is leader of innovation, drive and knowledge and takes pride in the team delivering and achieving their best. Not shy from getting his hands dirty he loves nothing more than getting on site whether installing piles or sand bag walling to complex lifts and grinding boats, he leads from the front. Ian navigates by canals and his passion for restoring old workboats continues to grow.
Interesting fact: He loves playing the guitar and all things 60’s.

Angela Cresswell
Project Manager & Lead for Aquatic Vegetation


Ian is the heart of the business on which everything else revolves. He is leader of innovation, drive and knowledge and takes pride in the team delivering and achieving their best. Not shy from getting his hands dirty he loves nothing more than getting on site whether installing piles or sand bag walling to complex lifts and grinding boats, he leads from the front. Ian navigates by canals and his passion for restoring old workboats continues to grow.
Interesting fact: He loves playing the guitar and all things 60’s.

Richard Smith
Project Manager


Ian is the heart of the business on which everything else revolves. He is leader of innovation, drive and knowledge and takes pride in the team delivering and achieving their best. Not shy from getting his hands dirty he loves nothing more than getting on site whether installing piles or sand bag walling to complex lifts and grinding boats, he leads from the front. Ian navigates by canals and his passion for restoring old workboats continues to grow.
Interesting fact: He loves playing the guitar and all things 60’s.
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Our Work: Changing the Shape of the River Derwent, Derby
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Navigating Nature: The Importance of Reed and Weed Management in UK Waterways
The UK’s canals, rivers, and inland waterways are more than just scenic landscapes - they are vital corridors for biodiversity,...
Who we collaborate with
INNOVATORS
Inspirational Innovators
Innovation is a core value of The Rothen Group and we have identified people that are going above and beyond, and therefore decided to have our ‘inspirational innovators’.


For continued innovation in all aspects of the business and how to improve and innovative update the plant to help our clients and teams work better.
Russell Sweet
Head of Workshop

Developed a bespoke software for the company which drives compliance, maintenance and auditing for the whole company. It is brilliantly designed for all levels of the business and is incredibly user friendly. The innovation is continuous and through listening and adapting to the team on the ground the software continues to evolve and improve.
Martin Rourke
IT/Software & Estates

For his innovative approach to specific projects that are new for the company and taking them to the next level. This can be everything from resourcing different products to cost analysis to CAD drawing and working closely with specialist local engineering firms and evolving each new idea through to production and testing.
Stuart Paxton
Research & Development Engineer