Meet The Team

​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 has worked in the construction industry in her role as ecologist for over 20 years. She understands how important having a pragmatic and proactive approach to the industry is and compliments Ian’s passion and knowledge of the canals with experience in leadership and management in larger organisations.

Interesting fact: She’s a mean hockey player and still plays every Saturday with her club of 25years CNWHC.

Russ has worked alongside Ian on the canals and workboats since he was 9 and now heads up the workshop. He has grown into a highly skilled, practical marine mechanic, specialising in developing our crane boats. He now oversees all the mechanics in the workshop including our first apprentice as well as the fabricators. He is Ian’s right hand man of old and is Rothen Group to the core.

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Interesting fact: Russ navigates by canals and the nearest bacon buttie bar!

Joe started with TRG in his early twenties and has proved himself to have an eye for detail and finishing. He has carried out all types of contracting works and mentors the contracting teams with developing their skills. He is now heading up the contracting and aquatic weed proving he can liaise with staff and clients alike whilst delivering excellent projects.

Interesting fact: his nickname is Nick Knowles from DIY SOS!

Dan’s background of managing waste recycling sites has given him an excellent skill set for heading up the plant hire. His hands on approach and ability to learn fast and think quick are integral to him delivering quality kit on time. Dan will always muck in and help the other teams, and this sees him respected by all and inspires team work.

Interesting fact: He loves working his drone but watch out for pigeons – he’s lost one to a pigeon!

With over 12 years of experience in operations management, Paul recently joined Rothen Group, bringing a passion for building strong teams and creating an environment where people can thrive.  Paul gets people talking, works continuously to improve communication across the business, and brings teams together to collaborate effectively. Paul will champion staff development, collaboration and operational excellence

Interesting fact: Paul coaches his sons football team and has done from Under 5's to Under 11's - with plenty of silverware under their belts!

​New into this role but a long timer at The Rothen Group, Kathryn is loyal to the core and always has our backs covered. Her ability to ‘say what she sees’ and delve deep into process make her ideal for the SHEQ role and the H&S values and ethos of the company is improving and embedding in everything we do.

Interesting fact: She loves horses and dogs and getting out with them at the weekend.

​Martin Rourke manages the IT within the Rothen Group. He been associated with the company for 6 years now, initially sub contract, finally joining on a permanent basis in May 2020. Martin brings with him over 30 years experience in the IT & Software development fields and his main tasks within the company are to promote strong business process through the use of IT systems.  The development of internal software is key to this success.

Interesting fact: Martin used to be an assistant cub scout leader and was called ‘Baloo’ named after the character from ‘The Jungle Book’.

With a background on supped-up Nova cars and carpentry Stu has come from a broad background but always focused on innovation and delivering the best. His focus is now on developing boats - everything from resourcing different products to cost analysis and CAD drawing. He leads on the electrics and new build side of the workshop.

With a background in farming and operating tractors & trailers Mitch started with us 9 years ago. He has grown into a senior site supervisor with a wealth of experience of all things civil engineering on the waterways. His no nonsense approach now sees him heading up training of the new site operatives, sharing is knowledge of how to work safely and effectively on the canals.

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Interesting fact: Mitch is our own Bear Grills, enjoying conservation shooting and then selling his homemade burgers!

​Despite only being in the role and business for a short time Angela is a natural leader and has already earnt the respect of the contracting team and her peers. Her ability to multi task and quickly define a process results in highly efficient and organised projects being run to time and budget. Her and Joe compliment each other perfectly as Heads of and her willingness to go the extra mile will see her continue to grow and develop.

Interesting fact: Ange is a slave to sun salutations having run her own yoga business before joining The Rothen Group.

Richard joined the team over 12months ago with a background in utilities. He has a QS type mind and delves into the detail which is important on larger scale projects. He is often found wandering around on his phone, but make no mistake, he is working on client relationships and getting projects across the line. 

Interesting fact: Richard’s wandering only comes to a stop for food! Pizza or fish & chips are his favourite.

I joined the Rothen Group in 2024 as a Site Operative, gaining hands-on experience in machine operation, lifting, and specialist work on lock gates and paddles. I’ve since progressed into a Junior Project Manager role, where I combine practical site knowledge with a technical approach to help deliver projects efficiently. Having worked on the tools, I enjoy bringing a real-world perspective to project planning and problem-solving.

Interesting fact: Before joining  The Rothen group , I spent nearly three years as a milkman so early starts have never been a problem!