North West manufacturer appoints new chief executive
A leading North West manufacturer with a 180-year history has appointed a new chief executive.
James Briggs Limited, a manufacturer of speciality industrial and consumer chemicals, has appointed Paul Blackaby as chief executive.
The 52-year-old has been promoted from his previous role as chief financial officer, which he held for the last three years.
He succeeds Tim Pugh, who after three years with the business has stepped down to pursue other potential opportunities that are closer to his home and family.
Founded in the North West in 1830 at the height of the industrial revolution, James Briggs is industrial aerosol manufacturer, specialising in the supply of paints and lubricants for retail, consumer and trade markets.
The £50m turnover business has 300 skilled employees dedicated to providing the highest levels of service excellence and technical expertise to its customers.
Paul Blackaby said, “I am thrilled and proud to be given the opportunity to lead this magnificent company in the next stage of its development.
“There is excellent potential to grow our sales in the UK and further afield in Europe and the Middle East in particular, and we will of course continue to work with our existing valued customers to continue to develop innovative new products.
“We are a fortunate to operate in a target-rich environment and have all we need to be a success; great customers, fantastic facilities, a strong management team and hugely dedicated employees.
“We are also fortunate to have the backing of Endless, an excellent private equity investor, who have been massively supportive over the last few years.
“I am really excited to lead this talented team into a new era and am optimistic for the future as we seek to continue to grow the business in existing and new markets.”
James Briggs operates from two manufacturing sites in Oldham and manufactures 50 million aerosols a year.
The company is backed by the transformational private equity investor, Endless LLP.
Paul Blackaby is a former CFO at Entertainment Magpie, a leading ecommerce site.
Before that he worked for some of the world’s largest chemical businesses including Ecolab, the $14bn revenue group, and Laporte, the UK speciality chemicals group.
