DIYWEEK.net

Stewart Group, the UK manufacturer and supplier of plastic moulded products for the garden and home, has appointed Andy Burns as its new group sales and marketing director.
Mr Burns will have management responsibility for the growth and strategic development of Stewart's sales and marketing activity across all sales channels.

He joins the company from white goods manufacturer Whirlpool Corporation, where he held the positions of head of marketing and, more recently, head of sales for the UK. While there, Mr Burns oversaw online, retail and trade channels worth a combined £45m.

Previously, Mr Burns was marketing director at Stanley Europe with strategic marketing responsibility for the entire UK product portfolio. This comprised five product categories with a combined turnover of over £100m. He worked on project management and Stanley's corporate brand and product showcase. Mr Burns was also a key member of the committee that relocated Stanley's UK headquarters.

Richard Butler, ceo at Stewart Group, said: "We welcome Andy to the company. With his background he can add extensive brand and category management expertise to our commercial team. His motivation and strategic marketing planning skills will also be vital assets to the future of Stewart Group."

Mr Burns added: "I look forward to working closely with Nigel Thompson and the members of the sales and marketing team; together our aim will be to quickly build on our past successes and take the business onto the next level. We have an enviable brand position in the channels in which we operate and leveraging this to the benefit of our consumers and customers will be the key to our success."