Boiler firm Swale Heating has hired a new managing director as it aims to double in size within five years.

Chartered civil engineer David Mathieson aims to extend the company’s reach further across the UK, having already established itself in Kent, the Home Counties, East Anglia and the Midlands.

He takes over the role from Mark Pope, who joined the firm more than 30 years ago and moves into a new role in charge of operations.

He will work alongside chairman Ian Pierson, who founded the business in 1972.

Mr Mathieson said: “I come with a fresh set of ideas and a wider view. Having worked with some of the biggest hitters in business, and learnt so much in the process, I’m now applying those lessons to help make Swale Heating the best in the UK."

Previous roles for Mr Mathieson include the redevelopment of a hospital in Italy and the new Docklands campus for the University of East London.

He also worked on the Piccadilly Line extension serving Heathrow Terminal 5 and a new bomb-proof British Embassy in Dublin.

He has joined Sittingbourne-based Swale Heating from property consulting business Mouchel, where he was managing director of its property and assets division.

The firm employs 600 staff and has a turnover of £45 million.

Mr Mathieson, who lives with his wife and two young children near Cranbrook, said: “What attracted me to the job is the chance to take forward a business that has achieved so much but which has the potential to do so much more.

“My ultimate goal is to make Swale Heating the provider of choice for heating systems on the national stage...” - David Mathieson, Swale Heating

“I have a huge amount of respect for the Swale Heating brand and feel that the time is right to take the company to the next level and I’ve got the experience, skills and vision to take them there.

“Swale Heating is an excellent company but it’s tough to stay at the top in business and the difficult years endured through the long recession have left the firm with more to do in terms of delivering a consistently excellent level of customer service.

“We will refocus on the attributes that made Swale Heating such a trusted brand, return it to the pinnacle of customer service, and make it the company that people want to work for and to do business with.

“We’ll do this not just in our traditional heartland of Kent and the South East but across the UK.

“My ultimate goal is to make Swale Heating the provider of choice for heating systems on the national stage.”