People: Equestrian specialist announces new CEO; Hollis makes key promotion; and more

As part of its £500,000 transformation programme, Walsall-based Abbey England has appointed its former managing director Richard Brown as CEO.

Abbey England is a market-leading wholesale supplier of premium British-made materials and tools to a variety of specialist businesses in the equestrian and other sectors.

Brown’s appointment is part of an ambitious programme of growth and customer focus the company is embarking on in the next decade.

The change and transformation programme will see the creation of Abbey England Group, and the consolidation of operations at its bases in Walsall (manufacturing) and Knutsford (wholesale and warehousing), as well as substantial capital investment into buildings, machinery and its IT infrastructure.

This will be supported by newly appointed non-executive-director Ian Traynor.

Brown has been fundamental to the company’s success since its conception in 1982 and has played a key role in developing the overall strategic direction for the business.

He said: “Following a number of acquisitions over the last 11 years, with a particular focus on vertical integration with the supply chain, we recognised we needed to consolidate our business and ensure it was ready for growth in the new decade.  The initiative is designed to deliver profitable and sustainable growth in core and expanding markets by simplifying our business, concentrating on what we’re good at and improving the way we do it by modernising our business functions and processes.

“We will continue to focus on the markets we can serve best, building on the qualities that earned us our Royal Warrant and providing products and service that truly put the customer first.”

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Real estate consultancy Hollis has promoted George Rankin to senior project manager in Birmingham.

Rankin joined Hollis in 2018 to support the growth of its major projects offer which is centred around capital projects ranging from £100m to £500m.

Ian Shaw, partner, said: “Huge congratulations to George on his promotion. He’s been a valued member of the team since joining, and it’s fantastic to see his career flourish.”

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Apollo, the UK’s largest privately-owned liquid adhesive, sealant, primer and coating manufacturer has welcomed Mark Hamlin as director of manufacturing.

Hamlin’s appointment signifies the latest stage in Apollo’s strategy to support continued growth. In this newly created role, he is responsible for procurement, production, warehousing and logistics working alongside director of business improvement, Stuart Gibson.

Apollo managing director, Ian Cornelius, said: “During the last 10 years we have experienced a period of rapid growth. In response to this we have had to adapt to meet increased demands resulting in significant investment in the business’ infrastructure and our people. Our workforce has increased from 80 to 180, and new training programmes introduced. During the last 12 months alone, we’ve also invested over £2m on a number of projects including a purpose-built technical centre, a new warehouse and improved staff facilities.

“With Mark’s support I’m confident that Apollo can achieve its strategy for continued growth offering world class manufacturing and operational efficiency for the benefit of our customers and colleagues.”

Hamlin joins Apollo with a background in manufacturing and supply chain management running sites across a number of sectors including, automotive and pharmaceuticals, as well as adhesives and coatings in both the UK and Europe.