Proudly Portals

Andrew Nash

Managing Director

Having completed a BSc Honours degree in Chemical Engineering, Andrew has now accrued more than 38 years within the papermaking industry. His formative experience was gained working for ArjoWiggins and Inveresk at various sites, both home and abroad, before moving to Portals as Operations Manager in 2005. Andrew was appointed Managing Director of the Portals Security Paper division in 2019 and is now MD for the Portals business. A papermaker at heart, Andrew takes great pride not only in the innovative high quality security products the site produces, but also the global customer base and longstanding client relationships it serves.

Rebecca Lewis

Operations Director

Beginning her career with Portals in 2003, Rebecca now has over 20 years of experience in the paper industry. Starting out as a Scientific Officer, she soon progressed to the role of Process Chemist while also completing her Open University degree in Molecular Science. Rebecca continued to progress through the business, leading the Quality and Technical functions in the Portals currency division at Overton Paper Mill before making the move to Bathford as Operations Director in 2022. In this latest role, Rebecca is responsible for all aspects of a smooth running the site from manufacturing to supply chain, engineering to human resources. Rebecca is thrilled to be part of the new management team at Portals and to help lead the refocussed business towards a new and exciting future.

Harriet Plumb

Sales Director

A qualified lawyer, Harriet initially worked within the private client legal field before moving into the Identity and Security Documents industry almost 10 years ago. Harriet has worked tirelessly building strong customer relationships and developing a keen expertise in understanding the threats, movements and requirements of the sector, to create bespoke solutions that always stay one step ahead of the fraudsters. In her current role as Sales Director, Harriet works alongside an exceptional team of sales and commercially minded individuals, focussed on the development and growth of the Portals’ security paper portfolio including its global passport, certificate and high-security document offering. Incredibly passionate about the sector and industry, Harriet, unashamedly, has both a personal and professional love of paper.

Nick Potter

Technical Director

Nick first joined Portals when he was just 18 years old and is still as committed to the business today, as he was then. The variety of roles Nick has held at the mill has seen him working in almost every manufacturing department, building his knowledge and skills to develop the highest levels of paper making expertise. His experience includes the introduction of new products and specialist knowledge of technical and physical properties. In addition Nick also leads a world class creative design team. As Technical Director and a key member of the Portals Leadership Team, Nick continues to work extremely closely with both customers and colleagues to engineer premium quality watermarks alongside the very specific physical properties required for high security identity documents.

Ross Holliday

Advisor and Director

Ross holds an advisory role at Portals and is a Director of Portals International (the parent company of Portals Paper). He brings his extensive commercial experience and knowledge of the security paper business to the team. Ross, previously CEO of Portals, initiated and led the management buyout and subsequent carve out from De La Rue in 2018 re-establishing the Portals name. Prior to Portals, Ross held a number of senior operational positions during his 9 years at De La Rue. Ross’s global paper making career included roles with ArjoWiggins, UPM, Caraustar and SAPPI. Ross has a doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the University of Manchester.

Robert Yeatman

Finance Business Partner

Robert joined the Portals team back in 1994 as a trainee accountant, gaining his ACCA qualification from the University of Wales in 1996. Having progressed steadily through the organisation, Robert has been leading the finance team on site since 2015. As our Finance Business Partner, Robert is responsible for the smooth running and integrity of the Finance function as well as contributing to the company’s strategy and forward planning. As the business evolves into its new independent status, Robert fills a valuable role in the Leadership Team, contributing to the ongoing, sustainable success of Portals.

Holly Ind

HR Manager, Human Resources

Holly studied Business Studies with a pathway to Human Resource Management at Bournemouth University and has always been passionate about changing the perspective of Human Resources within the workplace for the better. Holly has worked at Portals for six years; she started as an HR Administrator and since then has worked in a number of different roles within the HR team. Outside of work she has a love for performing, whether that be in musical theatre, pantomimes, or dance events!

What does your job involve?
I am responsible for all people related policies on site, supporting and implementing them. I manage the recruitment process in a timely manner to ensure it is fair, onboard new starters, manage our payroll process and all employee benefit offerings as well as our HR system and Occupational Health process. In addition, I monitor trends and feed back to the Site Leadership and Business Leadership teams.

What does that mean you actually do on a day-to-day basis?
I liaise with employees, managers, new starters and interview candidates and third-party contracts. I meet with people across the business to listen and discuss concerns or ideas and provide support when required to ensure everyone fully understands our people related policies. I am also responsible for ensuring employees are paid on time and correctly.

How does that benefit the customer?
I feel it is very important to have a happy and healthy workforce so our security paper can be made to the best of our ability. Therefore, utilising our people policies and ensuring positive changes to our culture is essential to benefiting our end customer.

What do you like best about working here?
I have always felt very welcome by our people from my first day onsite. If you are keen to develop your skills and career, Portals is great at supporting with that and we have some brilliant examples of successful career stories across the business.

Why are you so #proudlyportals?
I truly believe Portals cares for its people, and I am proud to be a big part of the support network.

Sebastian Laird

Health and Safety Manager

Sebastian has been working at Portals for six months and is a dedicated and experienced Health and Safety Manager with a passion for ensuring the well-being of employees and creating a safe working environment. With a background in occupational health and safety and environmental concerns, a strong advocate of demonstrating a commitment to implementing best practices, compliance with regulations, and fostering a culture of safety within the business.

Outside of his professional endeavours, Sebastian is passionate about giving back to the community. He volunteers his expertise in Emergency First Aid training for local and global organisations and has been involved in initiatives to promote safety awareness and rescue procedures in nuclear power plants, schools, charities and community groups and even Hollywood film studios.

What does your job involve?
I am responsible for the day-to-day safety of all Staff and Visitors as well as safeguarding the river and environment immediately connected to our process and site.

What does that mean you actually do on a day-to-day basis?
I prioritise accident prevention, employee training, communication, and continuous improvement to ensure the well-being of all employees and compliance with regulations. This is achieved by not only following regulatory requirements but also fostering a genuine commitment to the well-being of all employees and stakeholders.

What do you like best about working here?
I love the opportunity to improve our workplace Safety and Environmental impact and also find the rich history of a 300-year-old paper mill can be fascinating. You get to be a part of a living piece of history and contribute to its legacy.

Why are you so #proudlyportals?
I am so #proudlyportals because the company's values align with my personal values and beliefs, I can take pride in contributing to a mission that I find meaningful, Also my role at Portals International challenges me, It allows for personal growth, and helps me develop new skills, I feel a sense of pride in our professional journey.

Jonathan Lewis

Commercial Manager, Sales & Commercial

Jonathan joined Portals seven months ago, hailing from the vibrant seaside town of Clevedon. He brings vast experience in commercial and contract management to the team and has quickly developed a passion for security paper. Outside of work, you’ll often find him chasing a football around a pitch or enjoying time with his family and friends.

What does your job involve?
I provide support to our sales and business process teams with a focus on managing the commercial terms we have with customers, suppliers and other third parties. I also develop and maintain several processes to define and regulate the commercial activity of the business and am responsible for managing the Portals Intellectually Property portfolio.

What does that mean you actually do on a day-to-day basis?
My day-to-day can vary greatly. A lot of the day will be spent on my laptop responding to emails, reviewing and drafting documents, letters and contracts but also monitoring third party compliance with our sanctions and anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies, conducting due diligence and risk assessments for new and existing customers, suppliers and other third parties we engage with on a regular basis and ensuring several policies and procedures for the business are up to date and available to the business.

How does that benefit the customer?
My work helps demonstrate to our customers that Portals lives up to its Code of Business Principles to “do the right thing”. In the industry we work in it is fundamental we are only engaging with the right parties to conduct our business operations and thankfully we have had a successful time over many years nurturing relationships with trusted partners, especially our customers!

What do you like best about working here?
For me, its cliché but it’s the people. Having worked for a much larger business for ten years it’s given me a fresh perspective on how a business should be run and the quality of life that comes with working alongside great people. People who are not only fantastic at what they do but also know how to properly treat their colleagues and all other people they engage with.

Why are you so #proudlyportals?
It’s the family feel on site, we are in it together. Being a small team there are times when you must help someone with something not usually within your remit. But everyone is always happy to support each other, especially when it is urgent. It’s been a pleasure for me to get to know the team over the past seven months and to do my bit to help them, as they have done for me.

Jordan Harding

Cutterhouse Chargehand

Jordan has been working for Portals since November 2019 and in that time, has progressed from being a Cutter Assistant to being the Cutterhouse Chargehand.

What does your job involve?
The Cutterhouse is where large rolls of paper that come off the paper machine are cut down into smaller rolls or sheets according to customer requirements. My role includes maintaining the efficiency and quality of the department and also making sure that all the employees have the necessary tools and opportunities to being successful in their roles.

What does that mean you actually do on a day-to-day basis?
Being the Chargehand of the Cutterhouse means that I always need to think about inhouse customers and business customers and to achieve this I need to be vigilant about the quality of the paper this department produces.

What do you like best about working here?
There are many benefits to working for Portals, a massive one to me is my colleagues. Everyone that works here at Portals is very approachable and easy to talk to, which is why I’ve managed to create great friendships and memories in my short career here.

Why are you so #proudlyportals?
Working alongside people who have a great knowledge and experience about the paper we manufacture, fills me with confidence that as a business will continue to be successful.

Chris Quinlan

Mould Office Technical Lead

Chris joined Portals at 18 having left sixth form, and went straight into the mould office as a trainee. He took an opportunity to move to the Overton mould office as a senior mould technician in 2008 before returning in 2023 as the Mould Technical Lead. Portals has been Chris’s only employer for the last 19 years and he has seen many changes along the way. He has developed a passion for all things mould making and likes to trace its roots back to Victorian times - you may find him talking about the Great exhibition of 1851!

Outside of work you’ll find him playing the role of Chauffeur & Kit Manger when supporting his son as Goalkeeper for a grassroots football team and maybe the next Irish full back for a Local Rugby side....

What does your job involve?
I will help prepare mould tasks and provide the information for the mould Chargehand and team to create the moulds ready for paper making. Documentation and process flow is key for moulds to be manufactured safely, securely and to a high degree of accuracy. Having structured processes with quality control checks along the way helps to ensure we have provided a mould that will deliver what the customer is looking for in their watermarked paper.

What does that mean you actually do on a day-to-day basis?
Every day is completely different, and you need to be flexible in whatever task you might be carrying out. I can be processing embossing dies for the milling machine on CAD/CAM software or creating information packs for the next mould to go through the shop. I help create inspections strips to quality check the accuracy of our moulds as we work to tolerances of +/- 0.3mm, and then produce checking templates for the mill for us to quality check the paper that has been made is within spec to our customer requirements. Never one to shy away from getting my hands dirty, I have the opportunity to build relationships with suppliers for our mould wire and Electrotype. Working with the NPI (New Product Introduction) team, is also a good opportunity to push the boundaries of mould making.

How does that benefit the customer?
My role, and the role of the mould office is all about ensuring the quality and accuracy of the watermarks we are producing. We work very hard as a team to deliver a mould that is fit for purpose and will give the desired multi tonal watermark that the customer is looking for.

What do you like best about working here?
My favourite part is the uniqueness of the product we are producing and the huge number of people that are unaware of what we do and are connected with. We all take things for granted in how things are made every day and often when I have talked about what I do (the bits you can talk about!) I get the same response, “do you really make that in paper?”

Why are you so #proudlyportals?
For such a small company with a great family feel, we are really making our mark in the world. The people I have worked with make Portals, taking the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience.

Ibrahim Kamara

Security Officer

Ibrahim has worked at Portals for two years, and has had a very positive experience so far. Since joining the company, his knowledge and experience of Security has developed and increased, and he acknowledges there's still lots more to learn. Outside of work he enjoys socialising with friends, playing sports such as football, boxing and going to the gym.

What does your job involve?
The main focus of my role is to ensure the site is always secure and to control access and egress of staff, customers and vehicles.

What does that mean you actually do on a day-to-day basis?
I am the first point of contact for people when they come to our site whether they be staff, contractors or visitors. I ensure all people accessing the site are aware of the security rules and are cleared to enter. I also spend a lot of my shift conducting checks on the security systems and viewing cctv for any health and safety or security concerns.

Security at the mill has recently become an in-house operation, rather than being provided by an external security contractor. This has enabled the Security team to take on more responsibility regarding the creation of security processes in line with our various accreditations.

How does that benefit the customer?
As a Portals employee I am aware of the importance of our customers and the level of trust they need to have in us to allow us to produce their product. Our security team is onsite 24/7 ensuring the product is secure at all times and no unauthorised people have access to any secure material. As an in-house team we have the advantage of knowing all the staff and have comprehensive site knowledge.

What do you like best about working here?
The friendly environment and spectacular location.

Why are you so #proudlyportals?
I am proud to work for a company with such an amazing history and unique product.