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Kennards Hire chief executive officer Bill Whitehouse has announced he will be resigning in April 2025, marking 35 years with the Australian-owned company including five in the top leadership role.
Whitehouse will be replaced by current chief operations officer Stuart Dean, who was appointed to that role in 2019 and has been with the group for more than 14 years.
The outgoing executive says it is time to hand over the reins, but he plans to return as a non-executive director in August next year following a brief sabbatical to spend time with family and indulge his passion for travel.
Whitehouse is credited with delivering sustainable growth for the equipment hire company since he became CEO in 2020, leading it through the tumultuous years of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic climate.
During his tenure as CEO, the Sydney-headquartered company made 17 business acquisitions and six greenfield branch openings, resulting in 26 new branches, growing the network from 195 branches to 215 across Australia and New Zealand.
This was achieved alongside a 65 per cent increase in revenue since FY20.
But Whitehouse says is proudest achievement is having been the custodian of the unique Kennards Hire culture which spans more than 1,900 team members across two countries, with a recent employee engagement survey showing 92 per cent of staff think the company is a ‘great place to work’.
"Kennards Hire is truly a great place to work and I’m incredibly proud of our people – from Kununurra to Queenstown – who go above and beyond every day in helping to shape the business we have today," he says.
"It’s their drive to deliver outstanding customer service and the energy they all invest in building a culture of care, collaboration, and continuous improvement that makes Kennards Hire such a special place.
Recently appointed Kennards Hire board chair, Margie Haseltine, says the group is "delighted" that Whitehouse will continue to make a positive impact as a non-executive board member.
"The Kennards Hire board and Kennard family are thankful for Bill’s dedicated leadership, not only in his recent years as CEO, but also over the last 35 years as a committed and pivotal member of the Kennards Hire team," she says.
Whitehouse is optimistic about what his successor will bring to the Kennards Hire leadership, having started with Kennards Hire as group IT program manager in 2009, leading the company’s Baseplan front-counter implementation.
In 2016, Dean was promoted to the leadership role of general manager of IT until 2017, when he and his family moved north to take up the Queensland general manager role. In 2019, he made the move back to Sydney where he accepted the position of chief operations officer.
"Having held numerous roles across the Kennards Hire business, Stuart brings his wide knowledge and experience to the CEO role. Leveraging his expertise, vision, and commitment to our values, I have no doubt the company will continue to flourish under his safe set of hands," says Whitehouse.
"We warmly welcome Stuart Dean into the CEO role. With his proven track record of driving innovation and growth within Kennards Hire, including our industry-first After Hours Returns service, we have full confidence in him as he guides the business through our current strategic cycle and beyond," adds Haseltine.
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