The Automatic Vending Association (AVA) has appointed Jonathan Hart as the new Chief Executive to run the organisation.
Jonathan graduated in History and Italian from Manchester University. Then, after gaining a postgraduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Central Lancashire, he began his career working for newspapers, including Scotland on Sunday and radio outlets, including the BBC. next, he moved into PR and public affairs, fields in which he has worked for the last 20 years. During that time his clients have included Gazprom, Diageo, and BP. Most recently, Mr Hart has been running the campaigning group, the Tobacco Retailers’ Alliance, which represents over 20,000 independent retailers across the UK.
“I’m delighted to be joining the AVA at what is a very interesting time for the organisation’, Jonathan said. ‘I feel that the combination of my experience in journalism and communications will be extremely useful in building on the success of the AVA. I’m keen to raise awareness of the key issues affecting the industry at a media and a political level, so that the needs of the membership are met.”
David Ward, the Chairman of the AVA Board, told PV “Jonathan brings a wealth of experience to the AVA from his media, PR and trade association backgrounds. He was very successful in his enhancing the profile of the independent retailer sector, which seldom gets its voice heard. We look forward to Jonathan bringing that expertise to the vending industry and ensuring that the interests of the industry are recognised and supported.”
