Geoffrey Drabble (born December 1959) is a British businessman, and was the CEO of

Ashtead Group Ashtead Group Public Limited Company is a British industrial equipment rental company based in London, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange as a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, but, as of December 2024, it is contemplating a US ...

, an industrial equipment rental company and

FTSE 100 Index The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, also called the FTSE 100 Index, FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the "Footsie" , is the United Kingdom's best-known stock market index of the 100 most highly capitalised blue chips listed on ...

constituent, from January 2007 to May 2019.

Early life

He has a bachelor's degree in economics and accountancy from

Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 stude ...

Career

Drabble started his career with

Black & Decker Black+Decker is an American manufacturer of power tools, accessories, hardware, home improvement products, home appliances, and fastening systems, headquartered in Towson, Maryland, north of Baltimore, where the company was originally establis ...

, then

Laird Laird () is a Scottish word for minor lord (or landlord) and is a designation that applies to an owner of a large, long-established Scotland, Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a Baronage of ...

, before joining Ashtead. Drabble has seen Ashtead's share price rise from £1.50 to £15.50 over his nearly 11 years as CEO. In 2018, he was named "CEO of the Year" at the PLC Awards. In November 2018, it was announced that Drabble would retire as CEO of Ashtead Group on 1 May 2019, and would be succeeded by

Brendan Horgan Brendan Horgan is an American businessman, and the CEO of Ashtead Group, an industrial equipment rental company and FTSE 100 Index constituent, since May 2019. In 1996, Horgan joined Sunbelt Rentals, Ashtead's North American business, rising to ...

, the Group COO and chief executive of

Sunbelt Rentals Ashtead Group Public Limited Company is a British industrial equipment rental company based in London, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange as a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, but, as of December 2024, it is contemplating a US ...

, Ashtead's North American business.

Personal life

He met his future wife while at university.

References

1959 births Living people Alumni of Aberystwyth University British chief executives {{UK-business-bio-1950s-stub