The Board
Stuart Coutts (Chair)
Executive Chairman, Connect Vending
Stuart is originally from the East Midlands (Nottingham) and moved to London and started his vending career 35 years ago with Banbury Drinks in August 1987. With short stints running Clipper Coffee and in the fledgling Express Vending in the early 90s he started Connect Vending. His businesses have navigated through power cuts, miners strikes, the cold war the Falklands war, yuppies and the Filofax, Black Wednesday, Black Monday and interest rates at 15%. More recently the crash of Lehman Brothers and the Man on the Moon. Finally, Coronavirus and Lockdowns. Most of this was the backdrop to safely steering Connect Vending to where it is today.
Natalie Baker
Finance Director, Westways Vending
Natalie has been working within the family company for 20 years gaining a wealth of knowledge of the vending industry. She became a Fellow Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) in 2018. As Finance Director her current role encompasses Business Development and Management, with the future of the family business safely in her hands.
Richard Brinsley
Managing Director – Westomatic Vending Services Ltd.
Richard joined Westomatic in 1966 and is a very “hands-on” member of the team. The company is a global supplier of new machines, dispensing hot drinks, water, milkshakes, as well as food, snacks, and confectionery. Westomatic is also renowned for remanufacturing all types of vending machines. Over his 57-year career, Richard has earned a reputation for innovation, introducing many new vending concepts that are now considered industry norms. Richard travels extensively and has developed a great understanding of the changing tastes, needs, and requirements around the world. He hopes to share his wealth of knowledge with the AVA board and continue to support the vending industry.
Diane Hunter
Director, Apple Vending
Diane has been part of the Vending & Catering industry for over 25 years, where she has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in this dynamic business sector. The highlight of her career has been starting her own business ‘Apple Vending’ 14 years ago, which has continually been going from strength to strength with new acquisitions and growth around the country. With 10+ years of involvement with the AVA, Diane understands how much the Association can achieve for Operators. Her aim is to push this even further with new, fresh & innovative ideas, as well as being involved in upcoming legislation changes and helping raise standards of vending through the AVA.
Graham Kingaby (Treasurer)
Managing Director, NIVO Ltd.
Graham has worked in and around the UK operated vending industry for 45 years. He has served in various senior management roles for operators and supplier/manufacturers. He has acquired an intimate knowledge of operator needs which has enabled him to also support the aims and objectives of the AVA. Graham has served on the board of the AVA and various committee’s for over 15 years including as Vice Chair and Acting Chair.
Jane MacDonald
Managing Director, Excel Vending Ltd.
Jane has been involved with vending for almost 30 years. She founded Excel Vending in March 1993 and has built the business into one of the largest independent vending solutions provider in Scotland. She is a dedicated member of AVA and is passionate about encouraging members to work together to share their knowledge and expertise to help establish and maintain high standards, professionalism and integrity in the vending industry.
Matt Osborne
Business Development, Masteroast Coffee Company Ltd.
Matt has been with Masteroast Coffee for several years. In his role as Business Development Manager he creates bespoke solutions for each customers demands and needs. As the country’s largest private label coffee roaster Masteroast have a unique view of the UK coffee industry and Matt enjoys being able to collate and share these trends and insights back to customers and partners where it will help improve and support their own growth. “Being part of the AVA is very important for us as we recognise vending continues to be one of the strongest sectors driving a demand for diverse coffee services today.”
Adrian Pratt
Environment, Legislation & Marketing Manager, Benders Paper Cups
Adrian has been in the vending market as a manufacturing supplier of ingredients, snacks and confectionery, and packaging consumables for thirty years. He has been member of the AVA Environment Committee for ten years, and represented AVA in other aligned industry bodies, to support and promote best environmental practice, and now to ensure that the huge amount legislative intervention currently being introduced from a European perspective, as well the UK and the Home Nations Governments acknowledges the essential role of vending.
Kelly Pugh
Managing Director, City Vending Services Ltd.
Kelly, has been in the Vending industry for some 22 years, and is MD of City Vending Services in Birmingham, where she and her husband have built a vending company built on service, reputation and quality of vending machines, services & supplies. Kelly is passionate about the benefits of being an AVA member from an operator’s perspective and wants to help highlight this within the industry. Along with supporting other operators with the many legislation changes as they occur.
Jason Vincent
CEO & Co-founder, Aeguana
Jason’s career in vending started with writing the vending management system for Rentokil-Initial, managing over 35,000 machines — a system still in use today, sixteen years later. Through a series of controversial moves including going fully cashless in 2015, Jason and team built an award-winning range of automated retail technology spanning vending, coffee, fridges/freezers and micro-markets. His company Aeguana has an international reputation for being among the most innovative in automated retail, leading to a strategic merger with Boostbar in 2022. Now Boostbar’s Head of Technology & Product, Jason helps build the smart vending ecosystem of the future that seamlessly integrates hardware and software, underpinned by operator experience; making vending exciting — and profitable.