Who We Are

Who we are

Jon Collins – Chairman

Born in the North West of England, Jon joined a growing industrial group in 1967 which had interests in capital equipment sales and equipment rental. Initially in junior management, he accepted postings in the USA and Ireland where the group were pushing Greenfield expansion for a specialised range of machines. On returning to the UK, Jon became a regional manager before being appointed as a director.

Jon then moved to Australia in 1987 to rebuild an existing group business. He led a successful Management Buy-Out and purchased the business from the UK owners in 1993, before becoming the sole owner in 1997.

The Australian business developed into a major manufacturer of specialised pumping equipment with offices in the USA, Indonesia, UK, Middle East and South Africa, where both rental and sales contributed to significant growth.

The company was sold to an ASX-listed company in November 2010, and The Coco Group was formed.

With a keen interest in rugby, Jon has also served as a director of the New South Wales Waratahs (Super 15) and the Australian Rugby Union.

Jon is a resident of Dubai.

 

Paul Axon – CEO

Paul is a UK and Australian Chartered Accountant.  He has extensive experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, management consultancy and general management.

Paul commenced his career in 1990 in Manchester with a leading international accountancy firm.  On qualification, he moved to the corporate finance department of another international firm where he became a partner in 1998.  In 2002, he set up a boutique corporate finance advisory business before moving to Australia in 2005.

In January 2008, Paul became CEO of Sykes Pumps – a position he remained in until the company’s sale in November 2010.

Paul has been involved in over 100 transactions as a lead advisor/principal in the UK, Europe, US and Australia.  He has assisted owner-managed businesses in Europe and Australia with strategic consulting, growth strategies, and exit planning.

Paul is currently the CEO of The Coco Group.  He lives in Perth, Australia, and is married with two children.