Over twenty five years of access expertise

Mr Shaughnessy's experience with access equipment began at his father's hire company, having completed his post graduate degree at Nottingham University, he returned home to Boston to run the newly formed access rental business, which was an offshoot of the family's general rental business.

After a couple of years, in 1978, Mr Shaughnessy went to work at British Telecom, returning to the family access rental business after eight years. By 1998 the company had grown substantially and was running 1500 machines from five depots.

During the rental consolidation of the late 90s US rental giant, NES Rentals, bought his company and Mr Shaughnessy continued with the organisation, later becoming chief operating office. More recently Mr Shaughnessy has been managing director at A-Plant and most recently managing director of Loxam Access.

Mr Shaughnessy said that privately he'd decided to leave Loxam in June 2009, initially thinking he would remain in access rentals, a call from the then Skyjack president Ken McDougall, alerted him to the potential of a position at Skyjack, "From then on I put any thoughts of rental out of my mind," he said.

Mr Shaughnessy left Loxam at the end of November and took up his position as Skyjack president on 5 January 2010. Mr McDougall is now running Linamar's Powertrain business in Mexico.

Mr Shaughnessy is also deputy president of IPAF (International Powered Access Federation).