Ross Haworth, left and James Miller

We are pleased to announce that Abermed has appointed Ross Haworth as Managing Director, while current MD James Miller has moved into a new post as Chairman and Chief Executive.

Ross has been Finance Director at Abermed for around five years, while James became Managing Director of Abermed in 2001 and led the management team in a buyout in 2005.

The reorganisation paves the way for continued global expansion at Abermed, which recently joined forces with International SOS, the world’s leading provider of medical assistance, international healthcare, security services and outsourced customer care.

Under the new structure, Ross will be responsible for the operational management of Abermed, currently employing 360 staff across the UK and Kazakhstan.

In his role as Chairman and Chief Executive, James will focus on the profile of the group, its strategic growth and working relationship with International SOS.

Ross said these were exciting times for Abermed, which has more than 30 years’ experience specialising in the oil and gas industry.

“We are looking forward to an interesting new chapter for Abermed now we’re part of International SOS and I am delighted to have taken over the role of Managing Director,” he said.

“I will be working with the team to focus on our business priorities for 2010, which include internationalising our remote medical support services through International SOS’ global infrastructure as well as developing our medical training services and consulting businesses, particularly in overseas markets.

We also want to strengthen our presence and service delivery capabilities across the UK to better support our joint client needs, as well as continuing to expand our operations across Kazakhstan and extend our service offering in the Caspian region.”

James said the partnership with International SOS would create new opportunities for both Abermed as a company and its staff.

He added: “The opportunities and resources that are now available to us through the International SOS partnership will enable us to grow our business, both in the services we provide and in the geographic area we cover, as well as in career development for our staff.

We are looking forward to a bright future as we continue to grow and expand into new areas across the world, which can only mean an even greater service for our clients.”

Ross Haworth was born and grew up in Kenya and moved to the UK to complete his further education.

He graduated from Brunel University in London with a first class honours degree in Mechanical Engineering, then trained and qualified as a chartered accountant with Coopers and Lybrand in London before moving to Aberdeen to take up a post as a corporate finance advisor within the international oil and gas industry.

He joined Abermed after the management buyout in 2005, having acted as advisor to the management team.

Ross is married to Caron and has two young sons. Away from work, his interests include motorsports, watersports, photography, wildlife and travelling.