Lavelle joins Halma board

Mark Lavelle, managing director of ophthalmic instrument manufacturer Keeler, has been promoted to divisional chief executive of parent Halma's process safety division, with a seat on the Halma executive board.

Lavelle joined Keeler in November 2001 and the company said he had been instrumental in its dramatic improvements over the past five years, mainly through new product innovation and improved manufacturing operations at its Windsor headquarters.

Keeler sells its instruments in more than 100 countries and has recently opened offices in China and South America.

Lavelle, a chemistry graduate of Cambridge University with an MBA from INSEAD in France, said Keeler must be one of the few companies in the world to manufacture in Windsor and export to China.