Board of Directors

Bernard Herman van Bilderbeek BSc M.Eng (aged 64), Chief Executive
Ben founded the Plexus business in 1986. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the industry in both engineering and management roles and previously held senior positions with Vetco Offshore Industries, Dril-Quip, and Ingram Cactus. Following a career at Vetco, where Ben rose to the position of General Manager of UK Engineering, he went on to found his own oil and gas consultancy, VBC Consultants, in 1982. During this time, his clients included Amoco, Marathon Oil, FMC Corporation and Dril-Quip. In 1986, Ben founded Plexus and went on to merge the wellhead division of his company with Ingram Cactus where he became President Eastern Hemisphere. In 1996 Ben returned to Plexus Products International Limited and regained the Plexus Ocean Systems Limited name through which POS-GRIP technology was invented and then developed and commercialised for the oil services wellhead equipment market.

Graham Paul Stevens BA (Hons) (aged 54), Finance Director
Graham has broad experience of financial, corporate, and operational management within both public and private companies including Fii Group plc, Sketchley Group plc, BSM Group Limited, and J Sainsbury plc. He has been involved in a range of industries as a director, investor, and advisor, and overseen a number of acquisitions and disposals, as well as the implementation of turn around and growth strategies. Graham is a non-executive director of Netplay TV PLC, the AIM listed largest UK interactive TV gaming company. He was previously a non-executive director of NRX Global Inc. the worldwide leader in Asset Information Management solutions used by leading companies in asset intensive industries, including oil and gas.

Craig Francis Bryce Hendrie M.Eng (Oxon) (aged 39), Technical Director
After gaining a Masters Degree in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford, Craig began his career with ICI plc in 1996 as a machines engineer. He joined Plexus in 1998 and was instrumental in the development, testing and analysis of the original POS-GRIP products. Craig is now Managing Director of Plexus in Aberdeen and is also responsible for overseeing new technology and concept development, product testing and analysis and day to day operations of the company. 

Jerome Jeffrey Thrall BBA MBA (aged 61), Non-Executive Chairman *
Jeff joined Thrall Enterprises, Inc. (‘TEI’), a family owned holding company headquartered in Chicago, USA, in 1980 as vice president of corporate development of TEI’s subsidiary, Nazdar Company, a manufacturer and distributor of screen printing and digital inks and supplies. Jeff was named President of TEI in 1995. Jeff is also Managing Director of GSI Technologies, a printer of functional electronic products and industrial graphics. Prior to joining TEI, Jeff’s professional career included a number of appointments in investment banking, commercial lending and administration.

Geoffrey Edmund Thompson BSc (Hons) M.Eng (aged 58), Non-Executive Director
Geoff has over 37 years' experience in the international oil and gas arena. Geoff's expertise lies in the field of wellhead equipment including high pressure high temperature (HP/HT) technology. He has recently joined Maersk Oil in Denmark as a Principal Drilling Equipment Engineer, but prior to this, he was contracted as an independent consultant for 31 years advising international operators and oil service companies including a number of Shell Group Operating Companies on well equipment and all mechanical aspects of well design and technology. Additionally Geoff has an established relationship with the Company having worked with Plexus on an independent basis previously.

Christopher James Watts Fraser (aged 49), Non-Executive Director*
Christopher has experience in managing large, diverse corporate projects in complex business environments on a global scale. His wide-ranging career includes two terms as a Member of Parliament, as well as a number of years as a management consultant and corporate advisor. Christopher also founded and ran an international marketing and communications group, which had clients in the oil and gas sector.

* Member of Audit and Remuneration Committees