Sheffield steel firm appoints duo of senior industry leaders to board
The International Group, a Sheffield-headquartered group of companies led by entrepreneur Emma Parkinson which engineer, manufacture, and test high-quality steel products for the energy, aerospace, and defence sectors, has strengthened its board with the appointment of two independent non-executive directors.
Over the past few years, the business has expanded across major export markets and secured national recognition, including a King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade and a place in The Times 100 list of the UK’s fastest-growing private companies. Building on this period of fast growth, the appointments of Paul Kerfoot and Paul Clements now support the next phase of the Group’s expansion across critical sector supply chains. Kerfoot brings more than three decades of international leadership experience in industrial sectors. His background spans senior commercial and operational roles at Gates Industrial and Manuli Hydraulics, covering sales and marketing management, B2B commercial leadership, and the oversight of large-scale assembly and UK manufacturing facilities. Also a former board member of the British Fluid Power Association, he has built and led high-performing teams throughout his career and brings deep experience of developing distribution and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) relationships worldwide.
Meanwhile, Clements brings over 35 years of senior leadership experience in the global energy sector. A chartered engineer with an MSc in Offshore and Ocean Technology, he is recognised as a subject matter expert in valves, piping systems, and static mechanical equipment. His career has included board-level advisory roles, the leadership of global strategies, supplier integration initiatives, risk management programmes, and major operational transformations across complex international environments.
Emma Parkinson, founder and CEO of the International Group, said:
“While the International Group is still early in its journey as a business, it has already seen significant success – from International Energy Products receiving the King’s Award for International Trade in 2025 to the wider group experiencing fast growth and expansion.
Now, our focus is on growing an integrated, resilient group that offers customers an end-to- end turnkey solution from alloy supply to precision engineering and rigorous testing, and strengthening our board with two highly experienced industry operators supports that mission.”
“Paul Kerfoot and Paul Clements bring independent challenge, strategic insight, and decades of leadership in the sectors we serve.Their experience of governance, technical assurance, and international operations will be invaluable as we continue to scale at pace.”
The combined experience of the two new non-executives strengthens the Group’s governance as it scales its integrated offer to operators and OEMs seeking schedule certainty, technical robustness, and fewer supply-chain handoffs.
Paul Kerfoot added: “The International Group has established a compelling model centred on quality, accountability, and a truly integrated supply chain. I look forward to supporting the team as they continue to build capability and grow the Group’s international and industry footprint.”
Paul Clements also added: “The Group is forging a path for itself by offering a seamless, technically robust pathway from raw material to fully certified components. Strong governance and strategic clarity are essential in today’s energy and defence markets, and with this in mind I am looking forward to contributing to the next stage of the Group’s development.”
The International Group serves a client roster which includes the likes of Aker Solutions and OneSubsea and comprises International Energy Products, International Precision Engineering, International NDT Solutions, International Forgings and Heat Treatment, and International Additive Manufacturing.
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