PEOPLE


Okarno has appointed Ross Baxter as managing director. He brings over twenty years of experience in logistics and


commercial leadership to the role, and is focused on positioning


Okarno for accelerated growth. Before joining Saint-Gobain in 2011 as commercial director for Pasquill, Baxter worked for a global construction and power tools manufacturer, where he developed his expertise in logistics and supply chain management.


The Pallet LOOP has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Dan McKane as business development director, bringing more than 20 years of commercial and manufacturing experience


across the UK construction and building materials sector. McKane joins The Pallet LOOP from the Soprema Group, where he held a senior commercial leadership role working closely with manufacturing, supply chain and commercial teams across insulation, roofing and wider building envelope solutions.


Tapware manufacturer Methven has announced the appointment of three new area sales managers. Kelly Marshall has been appointed area sales


manager for the South West, Danielle Rose joins to cover the North East, and Dan Smith will cover the North West, North Wales and Yorkshire,


The BMF has appointed Gavin Crane, chief executive of Band of Builders, as chair of the BMF Ambassador Group. Since joining Band of Builders, the UK charity dedicated to supporting construction workers


and their families, as a volunteer in 2017, Crane has helped transform it into a national organisation backed by leading industry partners and hundreds of volunteers.


Klipboard, provider of business software solutions, has announced the appointment of Chris Tocher as chief customer support officer. Tocher joined Klipboard in September 2025 and has led


Klipboard’s Technical Support, Cloud Hosting, Managed Services, Professional Services and Client Success teams


10


STARK Building Materials UK has appointed Fiona Perrin as managing director of Jewson Partnership Solutions. Perrin has held a number of senior leadership positions including chairman of the


Independent Builders Merchant Group in its early days and managing director level roles in HSS Hire. She will report into John Carter, chief executive officer of STARK UK, joining the UK executive team. Neil Grindley will assume responsibility for Normans as national operations director for strategic projects, supporting Martina McGibney as managing director of the Jersey-based business, and chief logistics officer Ranald Forbes will support MBS.


Marshalls has announced the appointment of Simon Bourne as CEO with immediate effect. Bourne’s appointment reflects his extensive business and leadership experience, having been with the Group


for more than 10 years in a variety of senior operational and commercial roles, and a full member of the Board since 2022.


Carl Knowles, has joined landscaping materials supplier Pavestone as head of marketing from the start of January 2026. Knowles, who formerly ran his own marketing consultancy Thinck


Creative, has worked with the Pavestone team for more than 18 years and brings more than 40 years’ experience in advertising, marketing and brand development to the role.


Plumbing and bathroom supplies manufacturer Geberit UK & Ireland has announced the appointment of Matthew Balnaves as its new national sales director, succeeding Andy Lever, who


was recently appointed managing director following the retirement of Mark Larden. Balnaves joins Geberit from wienerberger, where he held the role of head of commercial excellence, and prior to that spent 15 years at Hilti in a range of senior commercial and leadership positions.


Burdens, part of


Wolseley Infrastructure, has announced the promotion of Mark Gillies to director of technical solutions, a newly expanded role that will oversee the continued growth and integration of the


business’ geotechnical and water management solutions.


Gillies joined Burdens in 2018 as business development director for Geotechnics and has played a key role in establishing and scaling the specialist offer.


John Cave has been appointed group chief executive officer at builders’ merchant EH Smith, leading the group’s long- term strategy and operations. Mark Mallinder becomes group development director, Chloe Cave


is appointed as group people and culture director, and Mark Leinster takes on the role of group property director. Mark Setchell continues to lead the Builders Merchants business as managing director and John Parker will continue in his role as group chairman.


Mark Vitow Ltd has appointed Cal Mc Carthy as business development manager for its FlowPro


Macerators brand. He joins the business with a strong commercial background and will focus on supporting the


continued growth of the FlowPro macerator range, developing customer relationships.


www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net February 2026


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