Bolstering our team with a senior appointment
Category: General
Published: 13/03/2026
We are delighted to announce and welcome the appointment of Leigh Freeman as Head of People and Culture. Based at our headquarters in Newbie in South-West Scotland, Leigh will lead on our recruitment, people strategy, talent development and culture.
She brings more than 30 years’ experience in HR and recruitment to this newly created role and holds an MA in Human Resource Management, a NEBOSH general certificate, and is a qualified workplace mediator and Fellow of the CIPD (FCIPD).
Most recently Leigh worked at Make UK, a membership organisation for the manufacturing industry where she provided HR consultancy to members. She oversaw the full HR function - from delivering targeted leadership training to guiding businesses through complex organisational change and site closures - and worked with owner-led companies, SMEs and global organisations. Leigh has also held senior in-house roles including Head of People and HR Manager positions in manufacturing and construction organisations.
Leigh’s expertise and strategic outlook will greatly benefit Cochran as she spearheads aligning our talent strategy with business growth. And she will lead on our people and culture strategy to enhance employee engagement and attract future talent.
Leigh said: “I’m excited to be joining as Head of People and Culture in a new role that underlines Cochran’s commitment to putting its people first.
“I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know and supporting the senior team over the last few years in a consultancy role and this has given me a clear insight into the company’s culture and ambitions. I’m really looking forward to building on the strong foundations already in place and helping to shape the next phase of growth.”
Tom Ritchie, Managing Director of Cochran commented: “We are delighted to welcome Leigh to the team. From the work she has done with us to date it’s clear to see Leigh is highly motivated, with great integrity and a passion for people.
“We are proud of our heritage and track record as a key employer in our region and are dedicated to providing opportunities and training to the next generation. Leigh’s appointment will help us to continue to attract and develop best in class talent.”
Whilst we don’t have any open positions do keep an eye on our careers page and LinkedIn, if you would like to work for a global specialist in industrial boiler manufacturing and through-life support services.
And find out more about us and our capabilities to work with a breadth of industries including oil and gas, food processing, brewing, marine, pharma and chemical processing as a full partner - offering design, manufacturing, support, servicing, upgrades, spares, hire and training, all from one source.