Leader Team

Brian Donaldson – Chief Executive Officer +

Brian is Chief Executive Officer of The Maxol Group, the largest independent forecourt convenience company operating on the island of Ireland.

An honours business graduate of the University of Bradford, Brian has worked for the Group since 1986. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Brian held the position of Chief Operating Officer and was responsible for the development of the Group’s extensive retail network, including developing its retailer operating model and establishing food partner alliances with Mace/Spar. He also oversaw the Group’s marketing, sponsorship and PR activities.

Brian is also a founding Director and member of the Northern Ireland Oil Federation and has worked closely with the Irish Petrol Retailers Association on raising the profile of the forecourt retailer sector. He has lobbied local politicians in both Dublin and Westminster on issues such as fuel duty, tax and planning. Brian is a former member of the CBI Council in Northern Ireland, former Co-Chair of ECR Ireland, Director of Irish Petroleum Industry Association, Director of the International Board for NACS and is the newly appointed Chairman of Retail Ireland.

Brian is married to Alyson and has one daughter, Jessica. His main interests outside of work include gardening, rugby and the occasional round of golf.
Laurence Donegan – Chief Finance Officer +

Laurence Donegan, B. Comm., A.C.M.A., joined Maxol in 1996 as Financial Accountant for Maxol Limited. Prior to this, he held a number of finance roles at Ford Motor Company and The Rank Organisation PLC.

He was appointed as Chief Accountant, The Maxol Group in 1999, as Deputy Group Financial Controller in 2006 and to his current position as Chief Finance Officer - The Maxol Group in 2011. He is responsible for all aspects of group finance, accounting, human resources and information systems.

Since joining Maxol, he has participated in many cross-functional project teams, which have helped generate significant cost-savings and new business. In particular, he was instrumental in integrating the accounting and administration functions for the main Northern and Southern Ireland businesses into a single head office in August 2000.

He was a mentor in the Plato North Dublin Business Development Programme from 1997 to 1999 and has been a member of the Financial Executives Association since 2005. He is married with two children.
Mark Woods – Chief Supply Chain Officer +

Mark Woods is the Chief Supply Chain Officer for The Maxol Group and is responsible for all aspects of operations, logistics, storage and the safe transportation of products. In addition, Mark is responsible for partner relations, contract negotiation and commercial management of contractual agreements, and for the Group’s extensive insurance portfolio.

As well as his role as Chief Supply Chain Officer, Mark is very active in the area of Future Fuels and is responsible for developing the Group’s thinking on the emergence of alternatives such as Biofuels, Electric and Hydrogen-powered vehicles. In addition to the technical evolution of these technologies, Mark is keenly interested in the various national and EU policies promoting these alternatives and represents the Group on various Industry Bodies including the Irish Petroleum Industry Association (IPIA) and IBEC. Mark also represents the oil industry as a Board Member of the SIMI (Society of the Irish Motor Industry) Management Board.

Before joining The Maxol Group, Mark was the Operations Manager of Kerry Connect, a division of Kerry Foods. There he was responsible for the Island of Ireland distribution network including the National Distribution Centre, 12 regional depots and the commercial fleet. Prior to this, Mark held the position of Operations Manager for BWG Foods.

Outside work Mark is passionate about classic cars and, together with his children, is an enthusiastic member of Ballyboden St. Endas GAA Club. Although, he now restricts his activity to shouting from the side-line.