31/01/11 – The CEO of the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT), Eric Musgrave, left his position today after two years of service.
Musgrave, a PPA award winning editor who set up the much acclaimed FHM magazine and worked at a variety of fashion magazines throughout Europe, has left the association to return to a career in journalism and consultancy.
UKFT Chairman Peter Lucas said in a statement: “I can appreciate Eric’s desire to return to what is his ‘first love’.
“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank him for his efforts in a time of great change for the association and extend our good wishes for the future.”
Speaking about his departure, Musgrave commented: “Joining UKFT gave me an opportunity to help shape the future of an industry I am passionate about and I will continue to do this from a different perspective.
“I wish UKFT every success as it continues to evolve as the business network for the sector.”
28/01/11 – Commercial director for Microsoft Advertising Chris Maples has left the software company with immediate effect to spend more time with his family.
Maples joined as managing director of Microsoft’s network business in May 2007 from his previous post with Maiden Outdoor (Titan).
Since 2009 Maples has held responsibility for all network, search ad serving, display and analytics business in the UK following his promotion to sales director at Microsoft Advertising in July 2008.
Of his decision to leave Maples said: “I only made the decision at Christmas. I have no career plans yet. I am just looking forward to spending more time with my children.
“I’ve enjoyed my time at Microsoft and wish them all the success in the world.” Maples began his career at ITV’s first sales house TSMS prior to a stint with Channel 4 as a member of the launch team in 1993 when the broadcaster became commercially independent.
27/01/11 – Chemical distributor Univar has promoted David Jukes to president of its European operations. He replaces John van Osch who is leaving the company to pursue new opportunities.
David has spent much of his career in global distribution, and most recently served as Univar’s VP of sales and marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
“David has tremendous international distribution experience and has demonstrated strong leadership during his time at Univar,” said John Zillmer, Univar’s president and chief executive. “Our European business is expanding rapidly, particularly in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. David’s global operating experience and entrepreneurial background are important strengths as we continue to integrate our existing operations and build capabilities in new markets.
“I would also like to thank John van Osch for his service to Univar. During his tenure, he drove our pan-European strategy of integrating our operations across 25 countries and establishing a Univar presence in the Middle East and Africa.”
David Jukes joined Univar in 2002 as chief executive of its Distrupol arm and subsequently served as regional director of Univar UK, Ireland and the Nordics.
Prior to joining Univar, he was senior VP of global sales, marketing and industry relations for Omnexus, a plastics industry consortium e-commerce platform based in Atlanta, USA.
26/01/11 – J Sainsbury plc today announced that Matt Brittin will be joining the company’s board as a non-executive director.
Brittin currently works for Google, where he is the internet giant’s UK Managing Director.
He joined Google as Director of UK Sales where he handled the search engines commercial relationships, before being promoted to the MD role in 2009.
David Tyler, Sainsbury’s Chairman, said: “I am delighted that Matt has agreed to join Sainsbury’s board.
“We were looking for someone who would complement the skills and experience of our existing team and I am sure he will contribute widely to our future growth aspirations.”
25/01/11 – Domino’s Pizza UK has named Lance Batchelor as its new deputy chief executive. He will become chief executive officer of the brand when Chris Moore steps down.
According to media sources, Batchelor has held a non-executive directorship with the company since the summer. He resigned from Tesco Mobile last week to move high into the pecking order at Domino’s.
Batchelor earned a master’s of business administration degree at Harvard Business School. He served five years in the Royal Navy before landing marketing positions at Procter & Gamble, Amazon and Vodafone.
At Tesco, he started as a marketing director and then moved into the operating side before rising to chief executive. Tesco Mobile’s sales were up 14 percent last year.
Moore has been with Domino’s UK since 1990. He has been the company’s chief executive since 2008.
24/01/11 – Mitchells & Butlers plc, the U.K. owner of the All Bar One pub chain, said John Lovering told the board he plans to resign as chairman and a director of the company “later this year.”
The former chairman of Debenhams Plc and Homebase Group Ltd. will remain while the pub and restaurant group appoints a successor, the Birmingham, England-based company said in a Regulatory News Service statement today. Lovering joined Mitchells & Butlers as chairman last year.
24/01/11 – Brand experience agency BEcause has promoted Karen Evans to managing director as part of a growth plan that has already seen the agency win £2.1m of new business in the last two months.
Evans has been a director of BEcause since 2009. She takes over day to day management of the agency from BEcause founder Sharon Richey, who moves into a new role developing business partnerships and global opportunities.
21/01/11 – Citroen has appointed Martin Hamill as head of commercial vehicles and business sector, after his predecessor Charles Peugeot was promoted to the role of sales director.
Hamill was previously Citroen’s national fleet operations manager, responsible for the carmaker’s national area fleet manager team.
He has been with Citroën for 11 years – starting with the company as an area fleet manager, handling Citroën’s fleet car and LCV business in the Midlands. He then moved to the position of commercial manager, working with the dealer network before becoming national fleet operations manager.
In his new role, Hamill is responsible for the continuous development of the recently formed 90+ network of UK Citroën Business Centres and its commercial vehicle operation.
20/01/11 – Leo Burnett has promoted the UK group managing director, Paul Lawson, to chief executive of its London agency, while the group chief executive, Andrew Edwards, takes on the additional role of group chairman.
Lawson, who will also retain the group managing director role, will continue to report to Edwards.
The promotions follow growth at the UK group, which also includes the relationship marketing arm, Arc UK; the experiential business, Lime; the brand activation arm, LeoSports; and the luxury division, Atelier. Edwards and Lawson were appointed to their group roles three years ago. Leo Burnett is now exploring how it might expand further in the UK and is considering acquisitions.
Lawson becomes the chief executive seven years after joining the agency as the group communications director in charge of McDonald’s. He previously worked at Grey London, Lowe Howard-Spink and WCRS.
20/01/11 – HDS UK and Ireland vice president Steve Murphy has resigned and is set to head up sales at Hewlett-Packard.
Murphy joined HDS as UK managing director in 2007, two years later he was made vice president and his responsibilities expanded further last July to include the Middle East, Turkey and Africa.
Prior to arriving at HDS, Murphy spent four years at EMC with half his time running the software group and the other half managing the UK. He was sales director at Fujitsu Siemens and ran the energy, transport and retail verticals at Sun Microsystems.
Muprhy confirmed that he is due to become vice president of sales for the UK and Ireland from 1 April, reporting to HP UK boss Nick Wislon.
“I’ve loved my four year at HDS, great people, good fun and we did the numbers as well but I go to another great company,” he said.
19/01/11 – Lance Batchelor, CEO of Tesco Mobile, has resigned from his position at the supermarket chain after two and a half years in the role, it was confirmed today.
A Tesco spokesman could not confirm what Batchelor’s future plans are and would only say that he is “pursuing other opportunities”.
Batchelor is replaced by Graham Harris who has been at the retailer since 2000 and has held the role of Commercial Director of Hardlines since 2005.
The handover period will take place over the next month or so, with Harris set to take his place at the head of Tesco Mobile by the end of February.
After qualifying with an MBA at Harvard Business School, Batchelor served as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy before working in marketing at fast moving consumer goods company Proctor & Gamble. He started in retail at e-tailer Amazon in 2000, moved on to act as Chief Marketing Officer at Vodafone in 2002 and then became Marketing Director at Tesco in 2007.
18/01/11 – RBC Dexia Investor Services has appointed Sebastien Danloy as managing director for Luxembourg. This appointment will be effective on 2 May 2011 and is subject to regulatory approval.
In his new role, Danloy will be responsible for building the business by focusing on market strategy, strategic client management and effective engagement with local industry, government and regulatory bodies. He will report functionally to Tony Johnson, global head of sales & distribution at RBC Dexia Investor Services.
Prior to joining RBC Dexia, Danloy served as global head of sales & relationship management for Societe Generale Securities Services. He also previously served as global sales manager UK and head of business development for Middle East for BNP Paribas Securities Services.
17/01/11 – HFT Forklifts Limited, a leading provider of materials handling solutions, has kick started the new year by restructuring its senior management team.
The Herefordshire-based business has appointed Carole Crawford as its new managing director. Formerly responsible for day-to-day operations within the family-run company, Carole replaces her husband, Peter Crawford, who has become HFT’s chairman.
As one of just a handful of female MDs in what is a predominantly male sector, Carole is looking forward to the challenges ahead.
“HFT is a dynamic business with a reputation for providing outstanding service and customer support,” said Carole.
“My aim is to help the business grow by strengthening links with existing customers and ensuring we continue to meet and exceed the high standards expected from us.”
17/01/11 – Mirtec, the Global Leader in Inspection Technology announces that David Bennett has been promoted to President of Mirtec Europe.
David Bennett, previously the Managing Director of Mirtec Europe, has been a major driving force in achieving a 200% increase on Mirtec Europe’s previous years’ turnover, effectively designing and introducing a complete distribution network spanning continental Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa in less than two years and has successfully implemented the setup of the Mirtec Europe Headquarters in Plymouth, UK.
When asked to comment, David Bennett stated that “I was delighted to receive this recognition from our CEO Mr Chan Wha Pak, I am lucky enough to work with a company who are considered by many as probably the most dynamic company in the industry. My European staff consistently gives me, our distributors and our customers an unparalleled level of outstanding support and I thank them for their exceptional support and commitment. We have set ourselves some very demanding targets for the coming years, but with the fantastic team I have in situ I am convinced that we have only scratched the surface.”
14/01/11 – Securing a £100m press sale to Express Newspapers has secured a promotion for KBA‘s sales manager, newspaper, Roger Nicholls.
As of the beginning of 2011, Nicholls has taken on the role of director of web press sales.
Nicholls led the sale of four compact KBA Commander CT press lines, totalling 22 towers, to Express Newspapers subsidiary West Ferry Printers last year.
KBA UK managing director Christian Knapp, said: “Roger’s experience and tenacity have been important elements in KBA’s sustained success in this sector in the UK, culminating in the order at Trinity Mirror and Express Newspapers.
“His elevation to this position is both a reward for his contribution to date and a signal to the industry that we intend to continue to play a leading part in a sector which we believe has a robust future.”
13/01/11 – MediaCom digital managing partner, Stefan Bardega, has joined mobile creative agency ubinow as managing director.
Bardega, who joined MediaCom four and a half years ago as digital strategy director and has been responsible for growing the company’s digital billings to over £160million, making it the single largest digital media agency in the UK.
In his new role Bardega will lead Ubinow, alongside the co-founders Josh Newnham and Yiannis Maglaras, during its next phase of growth.
13/01/11 – Anne Pitcher has been promoted as Selfridges‘ new managing director. She previously held the position as buying and merchandising director.
“Anne’s leadership experience and thorough knowledge of all aspects of our business makes her the ideal choice to take the Selfridges brand on from here in the UK,” says Selfridges Group chairman Galen Weston.
According to a trade magazine, Pitcher will replace Paul Kelly who will concentrate on his role as managing director of the Selfridges Group. A replacement is yet to be announced.
13/01/11 – PHD UK has restructured its senior management team, promoting Daren Rubins to the role of chief executive.
Rubins steps up from managing director, while Philippa Brown, previously the chief executive, will focus on her wider role as the chief executive of Omnicom Media Group UK.
PHD has hired Frances Ralston-Good to replace Rubins as managing director. She returns to the agency, where she was previously a board director, after a three-year spell as the managing director of Naked Communications in Melbourne, Australia.
Rubins, who will continue to report to Brown, has been promoted after four years in the managing director role. Brown added the PHD chief executive role to her OMG remit in 2008 after an extensive search for a chief executive failed to identify a suitable candidate.
12/01/11 – Property website Rightmove has appointed Peter Brooks-Johnson as managing director with immediate effect.
Brooks-Johnson joined Rightmove in 2006 and has held the position of agency director since the beginning of 2009, where he had responsibility for the estate agency business, marketing, the proposition to customers and the operation of the Rightmove.co.uk.website.
Prior to joining Rightmove, he was formerly a management consultant with Accenture and the Berkeley Partnership.
Chairman Scott Forbes said: “The board would like to congratulate Peter on his promotion into this key role and welcome him to the Rightmove plc board.
“We are confident that Peter’s knowledge and skills will enable him to make a valuable contribution to the board and support the achievement of the group’s ambitious goals.”
11/01/11 – PR firm Edelman has promoted UK CEO Robert Phillips to the role of EMEA president and CEO.
Phillips replaces David Brain, who has moved to New Zealand to take the role of Edelman’s Asia Pacific CEO. As well as the EMEA role, Phillips maintains the role of Edelman’s UK chairman.
Richard Edelman, the consultancy’s global president and CEO, said: ‘Robert is a proven leader with a strong track record. He co-founded and helped build the premier consumer PR firm in the UK – Jackie Cooper PR – is leading key Edelman client relationships including Shell and Diageo, and took us from tenth to fifth place in the UK in four short years.’
Based in London, Phillips will report to Edelman and join the firm’s global operating and executive committees.
Susan Eastoe, chief operating officer and deputy CEO of Edelman UK, will serve as acting UK CEO while a search is conducted to identify Phillips’ successor.
10/01/11 – Ageas UK has today announced a series of key appointments to support the growth of its retail operations.
Those in the new roles will report to retail managing director Andy Watson, who will continue to be responsible for leading Ageas UK’s retail strategy through the overall expansion of Ageas’s retail businesses – Kwik Fit Financial Services, Rias and Ageas Insurance Solutions.
In addition, a new role of retail commercial director has been created with the aim of maximising the combined scale, expertise and activities of the retail businesses. Brendan Devine, previously managing director of Kwik Fit Financial Services, has been appointed to this new role.
In this position, Mr Devine will be responsible for retail commercial development and for supporting and managing Ageas UK’s retail insurer, aggregator and affinity partner relationships. A team will be appointed to support him in his new role.
June Lynch has been promoted to the position of managing director, Kwik Fit Financial Services. She has been finance director with the company for 11 years and has played a pivotal role in its growth.
Ms Lynch will be responsible for leading and developing the Kwik Fit Financial Services business which includes Kwik Fit Insurance, Express Insurance and The Green Insurance Company and the executive team will report into her.
10/01/11 – Single Market Events (SME) has promoted Charles Ross to deputy managing director of the exhibition and event firm with immediate effect.
Ross has 15 years experience in the exhibition industry, and has worked for SME as business development director since 2001.
His new role will see him work alongside SME managing director Tim Etchells to drive the next stage of the company’s growth in the UK and globally.
SME currently runs twenty consumer and trade exhibitions across the UK, Hong Kong, and Australia and employs more than 40 members of staff. Its shows in the UK include Fashion Weekend, La Dolce Vita and event industry exhibition RSVP.
“I have recently spent most of my time at SME managing our development in Hong Kong and I am now excited to be contributing to the growth of the business globally,” said Ross.
Etchells added: “2010 was an exciting and inspiring year for SME on a global level and I look forward to working closely with Charles in order to grow our exisiting events as well as exploring new projects and markets for 2011 and beyond.”
07/01/11 – Delphi announced today that Gael Escribe, previously vice president, sales, Delphi Product & Service Solutions (DPSS), Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), became vice president, independent aftermarket, DPSS, EMEA effective January 3, 2011.
This position was recently held by Lucia Veiga Moretti, now vice president, global independent aftermarket, DPSS. Also announced was Philippe Guyot, previously deputy general manager, Groupauto International, who joined Delphi as Gael’s replacement as sales director, EMEA, DPSS.
“I am very pleased to see Gael take the leadership position in Europe to continue to drive the growth we have sought together for the past several years” said Lucia Veiga Moretti, vice president, global independent aftermarket, Delphi Product & Service Solutions. “Gael played a leading role with a strong customer view in the strategic restructuring and growth of Delphi independent aftermarket in Europe, as well as in key geographic expansion countries. This experience makes him well prepared to continue to lead the growth of our business by serving our customers needs”
06/01/11 – GMG Radio Scotland have appointed Jimmy Docherty as their new Sales Director in place of Gavin Bruce who was recently promoted to Managing Director.
Jimmy takes up the role after 3 and a half years as GMG Radio’s Head of Creative for the Real, Smooth and Rock brands in Scotland.
The role of Head of Creative has been filled internally with the promotion of Senior Creative writer Jacob Chan.
Jimmy said: “I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time with GMG Radio Scotland and I’m delighted to have this fantastic opportunity to lead what is, in my opinion, the finest commercial team in Scottish media. With the skill set we have, I believe we’re well placed to continue to offer our clients and partners compelling creative solutions to their advertising needs, showing how radio can play an important and integral part in their media mix.”
05/01/11 – Brian McBride, Amazon.co.uk’s managing director, has stepped down from the retailer to undergo treatment for prostate cancer. Christopher North, previously vice-president for media products, replaces McBride.
McBride, who joined Amazon in 2006 in from T-Mobile, said: “It has been a privilege to be at Amazon for the past five years and it is time for me to focus on my medical condition. I will soon begin treatment for prostate cancer and my doctor is optimistic about a positive outcome. I will truly miss the entire UK team but this is the right time to hand over the reins.”
North joined Amazon in October 2006 as head of books before being promoted to vice president of media, which includes its books, music, DVD, software, video games, MP3 and print on demand businesses.
05/01/11 – James Douglas, Nissan’s current fleet sales director has been promoted to corporate sales director, replacing Tony Lewis who has moved to Nissan Europe to take up the position of Director Sales and Marketing, Light Commercial Vehicles Business Unit.
Douglas joined Nissan in 1998 as area fleet manager and held several sales and marketing roles within the company before becoming fleet sales director in 2007. He has been replaced by Andy Woodhall, who was previously a regional sales director for Nissan.
Commenting on his new position, Douglas said: ‘I’m delighted to be taking over the Corporate division during such an exciting time. Nissan is one of the fastest growing brands in the UK with considerable market share growth. Innovative new product such as the all-electric Leaf and Juke crossover make the marque more relevant than ever for corporate buyers.’
04/01/11 – PR and marketing group Freshwater has restructured its operations after de-listing from the London Stock Exchange.
The company has created three new managing director posts as part of a new focus on organic growth following its decision to de-list from AIM.
The MDs of the three new profit centres are Mike Katz (public affairs), Iain Lovell (stakeholder communications) and Angharad Neagle (creative).
“This is both a strategic and a generational change,” said chief executive Steve Howell. “We’re seeing the business moving forward under new leadership and with much more focus on what we see as the growth opportunities.
“I’m really excited about the fact we’ve been able to promote talented people from within who have shown the innovation and commercial drive needed for a fast-changing economic, political and media environment.”
