Chairman appointed at listed marketing business Communisis

Communication services business Communisis has hired David Gilbertson as a non-executive director and chairman designate.

Succeeding Peter Hickson who is retiring after nine years at the business, Gilbertson will join the board on 1 March 2017 and assume the role of chairman following the AGM in May.

Currently Gilbertson is senior independent director of listed Tarsus Group and non-executive director of Incisive Media.

He is also chairman of a number of privately-owned businesses and has previously chaired several private equity backed companies. His executive career included serving as chief executive of EMAP Ltd, now part of Ascential plc and as chief executive of Informa plc.

This follows a successful period for Communisis after winning a major HMRC contract and in October 2016, half year pre-tax profits increased to £4.4m from £3.2m.

The business has been undertaking a turnaround plan and “delayering” its management teams as well as outsourcing non-core activities and reducing central costs, which it believes will save £3m.

Peter Hickson commented: “I am proud to have served Communisis and its shareholders for the past 9 years. During this time the company has established itself as a market leader in customer communication. Our growth has seen us enter new service areas, win major long-term outsourcing contracts and create a major presence in international markets. I very much welcome David as my successor and wish him well in the role.”

David Gilbertson commented: “I am delighted to be joining the Board of Communisis. It is a business which has built a powerful platform through strong and longstanding relationships with leading financial services and retail clients both in the UK and internationally. I look forward to being part of this next exciting chapter of its growth story and to helping it drive stakeholder value through its further success.”