Lyn Arnold
Art Department Manager
Lyn has worked with balloons in Oswestry for over nineteen years. Developing weekly production plans she runs the art department, orders fabric and produces quotes for artwork. Working with Lyn are Sian and Jackie, applying artwork. Lyn's design flair means that outside of work she designs and makes novelty cakes - from traditional wedding cakes to a cake in the shape of a medieval castle!
Rene Bregeon
Graphic Designer
Rene's career in balloons began at Sky Balloons, before he moved on to Lindstrands in 2000. As graphic designer he interprets clients' requirements to create stunning balloons, and he also designs all of the company's promotional literature and advertising campaigns. In his spare time Rene enjoys watching motorbike racing, and is the proud owner of Honda VFR 750.
Julia Cheesman
Accounts Manager
Julia looks after the accounts and payroll at Lindstrands and has been with the company since 1996. She lives in Ellesmere near Oswestry, and has a cat called Stevie G (After Steven Gerrard!)
Lee Davies
Quality Manager
Formerly General Manager at Lindstrand Technologies, Lee has worked across the two sites for fourteen years. His role at Lindstrand Hot Air Balloons is to provide quality assurance across all the products, guaranteeing compliance with EASA regulations. Lee is a member of the Institute of Quality Assurance, and qualified as an IRCA Lead Auditor. He also holds a PPL for balloons, but when not flying can often be found at weekends working as a club DJ around Manchester.
Simon Forse
Managing Director
Simon's first role with the company was as Chief Engineer. He then became General Manager in 2000, and Managing Director in 2003. Simon is responsible for the strategic outlook of the business and new product development, and he is also involved in sales and customer support. A pilot of hot air balloons, gas balloons, and airships, Simon enjoys flying and held the National Distance Record for gas ballooning, for a flight from Albuquerque to Oklahoma. He was also Launch Master for Per Lindstrand's historic trans Pacific flight in 1991. A BBAC Inspector, Simon has a HND in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Hertfordshire.
Alastair Hardie
Production Coordinator
Alastair began working for Lindstrands in 2007, having worked in production management for Alcan in Bridgenorth. His role involves organising all the production and planning within the factory, and liaising with the sales team. Alastair lives in Shrewsbury, and enjoys football with his sons, and hillwalking with his dogs.
Martin Hinton
Purchasing
Martin shares an office with Julia and Kevin and handles the purchasing and shipping for the factory. Martin has worked at Lindstrands for over thirteen years, and says his life revolves around the factory!
Andy Marshall
Design Engineer - Envelopes
Andy joined Lindstrand Hot Air Balloons in June 2007, from working in Production Engineering at Airbus. Andy's role at Lindstrand includes developing deflation systems, stress analysis, and fabric engineering. He also designs special shapes. When he's not at work Andy is still occupied with balloons - he is a PUT, and he also has a collection of model balloons.
Kelvin Oakley
Sales Executive
Kelvin's career in balloons began on a youth training scheme in 1990, and having worked through his NVQ engineering qualifications he worked his way around the factory in a variety of roles - from making baskets to production of burners. Kelvin is now upstairs in Sales, liaising with customers on a daily basis. As a fixed wing pilot, Kelvin's spare time is spent up in the air, flying from Welshpool and other local airfields.
Alan Palmer
Spares
Alan started work at Lindstrands in August 2004 - on his birthday! He joined from Royal Mail, where he was a senior operational manager for thirty five years. Now working part-time, Alan handles all spares and parts requirements for Lindstrands, alongside merchandise. When not running around at the factory, he's running around on a football pitch, having been a referee for fifteen years.
Kevin Pilsbury
General Manager
Kevin's role covers the finance, production and commercial aspects of the business. He has been with Lindstrands since 1995, having started on an employment training scheme and worked his way up, gathering a wide ranging product knowledge in the process. Kevin is also a sub-postmaster, and spends his time between Oswestry and Somerset. In any spare time, Kevin enjoys sub aqua diving.
Alasdair Ritchie
Design Engineer - Hardware
Alasdair knows his hardware - he designs all Lindstrand's balloon systems and hardware, and prior to joining the company he ran an engineering firm making burner components. Alasdair is also working on a range of projects including hydraulic blast valves and gimble blocks. Having gained his PPL for balloons in 2006, Alasdair enjoys flying his T&C 77, and when he has time, racing radio controlled cars.
Chris Sanger-Davies
Sales & Operations
A commercial balloon and airship pilot, BBAC inspector and instructor, Chris has worked around the world, flying a range of passenger and branded balloons. Originally a Building Surveyor, Chris's career in ballooning began in 1985. Working within Sales, Chris is also responsible for Lindstrand Operations, liaising with commercial and corporate clients to provide branded balloons for advertising and events. As one of the company's test pilots Chris is also involved in new product development.
