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.
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.
Chris Skipper
Technical & Operations Director, NVCS Ltd
Chris has been involved in the vending industry since 1984, starting in a family business which was purchased by NVCS in 1993. He has developed his career in the operational and technical aspects of the industry and became a director of NVCS in 2006. Passionate about raising industry standards, Chris has served on the AVA technical committee for over 15 years and has been instrumental in advocating for industry-specific training for technical staff. An avid AVA supporter, Chris looks forward to adding further value to membership and the industry during his tenure on the board.
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.
Tom Williams
Managing Director, Coinadrink Ltd
Tom has been involved in vending his whole life as part of the family business. Returning to the business in 2015 after a decade in retail management, Tom initially rejoined as Sales & Marketing Manager before taking over as Managing Director in 2022. Coinadrink are a vending operator dedicated to great service, at a fair price, with a personal touch. Tom is passionate about the vending industry and is keen to drive innovation, best practise and reputation whilst representing the operators within the membership. Tom is also a current member of The AVA Environmental Committee.