From factory floor to senior management, 19 fathers work in the record-breaking Ballymena firm alongside their children

Family has always been important at leading zero-emission bus manufacturer Wrightbus, but this Father’s Day will be extra special with 19 pairs of dads and sons on the payroll.

From factory floor to senior management, 19 fathers work in the record-breaking Ballymena firm alongside their children.

“It’s a real privilege seeing my son come into the company and grow in his role,” said global sales director John McLeister, whose son Nathan joined in 2022.

“Watching his progression unfold has not only made me proud as a father, but it’s also given him a real insight into the kind of work I’ve been doing throughout his formative years. It’s brought a new level of understanding and connection between us.”

Nathan, who’s the UK commercial manager, explained: “My dad has worked at Wrightbus for as long as I can remember. Growing up just outside Ballymena, I would often pass the factory and always knew that’s where he worked. I also remember him giving me model buses, which I still have today.

“When I finished University and moved back home, I realised the huge amount of different roles that were available at Wrightbus, and the great opportunities it offered locally.”

Manufacturing manager William Lorimer celebrates 40 years of working at Wrightbus next year, a feat made all the sweeter for the fact his son Jason has worked there for nearly half of them.

“We get to spend a lot of time together and watching him progress through the company fills me full of pride,” he said. “While it also means that we’re never able to switch off – talking about work at the dinner table or over the weekend - bus-building is something we just have in common. I wouldn’t change it.”

Jason, who started as an apprentice in 2007 and is now head of output at the factory, added: “Over the last 18 years I have developed through various roles, all with different challenges, but the good thing is that I always had someone to ask for advice, someone I could give scenarios too and who I was able to trust.

“If there were weeks that got on top of me, I was able to discuss over the dinner table or at the weekend and he always listened or gave me advice on similar situations he was involved in.”

Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales said while the company was constantly evolving the next generation of products, it was the next generation of workers who would push the business to even greater heights.

“We always say Wrightbus is like a family but these people prove it, quite literally, and our business is all the better for it,” he added.

“Father’s Day is a really special day in the calendar but this is our turn to celebrate the fathers who work here alongside their children every day, helping Wrightbus become the best bus manufacturer in the world.”