OPTILAN APPOINTS ADRIAN BANNISTER AS CFO

Optilan, the leading security and communications company for the energy, infrastructure, pipeline, and rail sectors, can today announce that it has appointed Adrian Bannister to its Executive Management Team as Chief Financial Officer.

Adrian brings over 25 years of experience in Chief Financial Officer roles, and was perhaps most notably involved in the buyout of the Sparrows Offshore team in 2000. Adrian has worked exclusively for high-growth and entrepreneurial, private-equity backed companies ever since then.

Optilan is backed by Bluewater, the global private equity firm for the energy transition.

Adrian was most recently CFO at Ardyne, the specialist energy technology business that drives cutting-edge innovation for onshore and offshore well management. Prior to Ardyne, Adrian held a series of similar strategic executive roles across a variety of Oilfield Services businesses, making him an ideal addition to Optilan’s team. In these roles, Adrian helped both established businesses and new start-ups meet and exceed their growth targets, as well as drive international expansion.  Additionally, Adrian also held a non-executive position for six years at Cortez Subsea, a pipeline business. 

With his combined energy and technology expertise, Adrian is perfectly placed to help spearhead Optilan’s future growth strategy in key energy and infrastructure sectors. Adrian will bring his successful track record of growing businesses and his wealth of financial knowledge and industry experience to Optilan, in order to help define, shape, and execute the company’s domestic and international growth strategies.

Adrian graduated from RGU with a Degree in Business Studies and then joined EY in Aberdeen where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1988. Following a period working in the profession supporting a variety of industries across the UK, he returned from London and moved into industry. Adrian is also a Governor of the reputable Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University, which is currently Scottish university of the year and UK business school of the year. 

Bill Bayliss, CEO of Optilan, adds: “Adrian has invaluable experience in private equity and helping tech-focused industrial businesses achieve, manage and sustain long-term growth.”

“Adrian knows the energy sector like the back of his hand and has helped PE-backed, high-growth companies just like us navigate the industry. He’s therefore perfectly positioned to lead the company as we evolve our offering across a variety of nationally and internationally critical industries.”

Adrian, Chief Financial Officer of Optilan, says: “I am very proud to join Optilan as Chief Financial Officer. Optilan boasts an impressive history of staying at the very forefront of technology to deliver security-critical and safety-critical systems across nationally and internationally-critical projects.”

“I am particularly excited about the company’s growth plans, helping clients use the very latest technology to drive efficiency and optimise their systems in a cost-effective way.”