PEOPLE: ON THE MOVE PEOPLE
Group managing director of Frank Key Group, James Norton, has been appointed sector chair of the BMF’s Finance Forum.
Worcester Bosch CEO, Carl Arntzen, will be retiring at the end of March 2026, to be succeeded by current sales & marketing director, Jo Shepherd, who has been with the business on its legal board since 2022. Since joining Worcester Bosch, Shepherd has led the company through its evolution into a multi-tech heating manufacturer.
Builders merchant group IBMG has appointed Matthew Parker as chief executive officer, effective immediately. Parker was most recently managing director of Wolseley
Group’s Infrastructure division; prior to this he was managing director of Travis Perkins’ TF Solutions division, and previously held numerous senior roles within the wider business, including as commercial director and finance director, respectively, of its BSS unit.
Civils & Lintels (C&L), part of the Huws Gray group, has announced the appointment of Tariq Ahmad as national sales director. Ahmad joins the business with almost three decades of
industry-relevant sales experience having previously held senior roles at Polypipe, Twyford Bathrooms and most recently Wilsonart Engineered Surfaces.
The Finance Forum discusses outcomes
aligned with Budget announcements, and major financial developments that impact on the sector.
Norton joined Frank Key in 2005 as finance director shortly after qualifying as a chartered accountant. He was promoted to group managing director in 2011.
Stelrad Radiators has announced the appointment of Allan Jones as product manager. In his new role, Jones will be responsible for shaping product
strategy, managing the product portfolio, and developing roadmaps for Stelrad’s UK brands across the company’s multi-channel routes to market.
Security hardware manufacturer ERA has announced the appointment of Sheena Kotecha as its new customer service and internal sales director. Kotecha’s career has seen her lead
large operational and customer-facing teams, specialising in transforming customer operations while optimising service processes and improving efficiency, retention, and customer satisfaction.
Conex Bänninger has appointed Antony Pieroni as regional technical sales manager (North). Pieroni joins the business from Grohe, where he served as area sales manager for the North East.
He brings extensive sales expertise to the position and, having previously been a branch manager for a plumbers’ merchants, can bring a valuable insight from both sides of the trade counter to his new role.
SFA Saniflo has announced the appointment of James Eeles as area sales manager for Kinedo in the North East & Scotland. Covering an area that takes in Leeds right up to
Inverness, he will be supporting merchants and showrooms, as well as developing contract business for the company’s range of shower products, and representing Saniflo in Scotland.
Chris Ainger,
managing director of Naylor Drainage Ltd, has been appointed President of the BPF Pipes Group. Ainger brings more than 20 years of expertise in operational
excellence, strategic growth and stakeholder leadership with a strong record of improving performance, quality and sustainability across complex manufacturing environments, having joined Naylor in March 2025.
MERCHANTS Is your annual turnover more than £25m? BMJ needs your input for our Trailblazers, our merchant benchmarking survey.
Published with the April 2026 issue, this vital supplement details the top 50 builders merchants operating in the UK.
To fill out your details, go to
buildersmerchantsjournal.net/trailblazers/ BMJ Trailblazers qp BMJ
Dec25.indd 1
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net January 2026 13 8/12/25 12:03
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