Plumbing and heating giant hires new marketing boss

Highbourne Group, the Northants-based plumbing and heating merchant and owner of brands such as City Plumbing, Plumbworld and PTS, has appointed a new chief marketing officer.

Liz Forte, an award-winning marketing director with over 20 years’ experience working for brands such as Starbucks and Sony, joins the business from the world’s largest food contract company, Compass Group.

She is now responsible for developing and overseeing the marketing and brand strategy of Highbourne Group to support commercial performance and raise visibility amongst new and existing customers, ultimately driving business growth.

John Vaughan, chief customer officer of Highbourne Group, said: “We are excited and delighted to appoint Liz, who has built her career on understanding business objectives and translating them into powerful and innovative marketing strategies, as our new chief marketing officer.”

“Liz has a wealth of experience and specialises in growth transformation projects, demonstrated most recently in her previous role where she generated impressive figures for new business, despite challenges associated with the pandemic.

“We are looking to unlock the next phase of Highbourne Group’s development and need a strong, insight-led, customer-focused strategic marketing leader. Liz is a perfect fit for this role, and we see her as a significant investment in our company’s future. Liz will report directly into myself and join the Highbourne SLT board.”

Foryte added: “This new role is a tremendous opportunity, and I am looking forward to being part of the team that will help shape the future and upwards trajectory of Highbourne Group.

“I plan to use my expertise to enhance the trading brands of the company, building tangible relationships with its customers and driving sustainable business growth through innovative marketing techniques.

“My new colleagues have given me a warm welcome and I already feel part of the Highbourne family.”