Obituary – Roger Pownall, Cogent

Chairman of Cogent Passenger Seating, Roger Pownall, has passed away suddenly.

Roger had been fighting what was thought to be a cold, and following two visits from the paramedics, they decided it was time for him to go to hospital. A statement from the family said: “He walked out of the house and in to the ambulance, laughed and joked with the paramedics, walked out of the ambulance in to the hospital, laid on the bed, closed his eyes and never woke up.”

Roger leaves behind his wife Pauline, a son and four step-children, two of whom, brothers Rhys and Gareth, are also in Cogent.

Roger joined Cogent in 1996 as a ‘company doctor’ to turn the business around and ended up staying, buying the company in an MBO with Pauline in 2005.

A statement from the company said of Roger: “He guided the business through all the trials and tribulations of the financial crash and often, on occasions, kept it going through sheer bloody mindedness.”

Roger encouraged and mentored Rhys over the years, who took over the role of MD after his father’s quadruple bypass in January 2017. Roger then progressed to Chairman and withdrew from the day to day running of the business.

The statement continued: “They said he was good for another 20 years after the operation and he was determined to live every day as if it was his last and enjoyed many wonderful holidays with Pauline and also indulged in his passion for fast cars.

“Roger was the heartbeat of Cogent since 1996, but Pauline, Rhys and with the help of Gareth, are determined to continue the work started by Roger to make Cogent his legacy.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only a small family burial was held, with donations in lieu of flowers to Help for Heroes via St James Funeral Home, 31 St James Gardens, Swansea, SA1 6DT.