WesternOne Inc., which owns WesternOne Rentals & Sales, has named Peter Blake, currently CEO of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, as CEO, replacing interim CEO Robert King, effective Sept. 1. As previously announced, Blake is stepping down from the Ritchie Bros. presidency. King will continue as chairman of the board of Vancouver, B.C., Canada-based WesternOne.
“Peter brings extensive knowledge and experience of leading a highly successful organization that has grown to a global scale and created exceptional shareholder value,” said King. “Under Peter’s leadership, Ritchie Bros. has grown in 10 years from a $250 million market cap business to a $2.5 billion market cap business. Peter’s credentials from the construction and infrastructure background are ideally suited to the WesternOne business. Our board is confident that he is the right CEO to lead this next exciting stage of growth for WesternOne.”
Blake joined Ritchie Bros. as a controller in 1991 and in 1994 was named vice president, finance. In 1997, Blake was appointed chief financial officer and elected to the board of directors. In 2002, he was named senior vice president and in 2004 became CEO.
“WesternOne has achieved a solid track record of growth and I’m excited about the appointment,” said Blake. “I look forward to working with the leadership team when I join in September and driving future growth together.”
WesternOne Inc. includes WesternOne Rentals & Sales, also known as the company’s infrastructure services division, and Britco, a modular construction and rental division. WesternOne is No. 44 on the RER 100.
