PEOPLE 10 MINUTES WITH:
What is your current role and how long have you been doing it?
I am the chair of etag, a specialist distributor of drylining, insulation and M&E solutions, having joined the business in November 2024.
What does your role entail? My primary goal is to coach and advise the executive team on the development and implementation of the business strategy to achieve its goals. My objectives also centre on finding ways to improve our customer experience, putting people first supported by new digital platforms and new technologies, and ensuring sustainability runs throughout our business .
How did you get started in this industry? I joined Saint-Gobain in 2017 as the CEO of its Building Distribution Business in the UK and Ireland, and Managing Director for Jewson. Prior to this, I worked in other industries.
What roles were you doing before? Prior to the CEO role at Saint-Gobain, I held the role of Chief Customer Officer at Royal Mail for five years, which followed a decade in executive roles at the UK mobile operator, Orange, including Chief Financial Officer and Vice President, during which time I led the B2B division and then the Consumer division. I believe my experience of successfully leading strategic transformation and growth with three large organisations in different industries lends itself to helping etag achieve its growth ambitions.
MIKE NEWNHAM
Chair of etag, a specialist distributor of drylining, insulation and M&E solutions
What would you like to achieve? I want to play a pivotal role in helping the executive team to further develop their skills and experience, so that they constructively and significantly help the business achieve its goals.
What has been the highlight of your career so far? There have been a fair number of highlights and it’s not easy to single one out. What I can say is that the common ingredient to those highlights is having a brilliant team around me; I’ve worked with people who bring diversity of experience and skills, passion, resilience and the ability to collaborate and challenge constructively. It’s this which helps teams align and develop a strong capability to deliver great results.
What are the main issues for builders merchants and for the construction industry at the moment? The economy is in relatively poor health, which creates a lack of trust and confidence amongst businesses and consumers alike. There is also a lack of availability of high- quality labour. There aren’t enough people with the
relevant construction skills required to meet targets for building projects, and there’s a lack of suitable apprenticeship schemes to train people to develop the wide range of specialisms needed to build more sustainably and at pace.
If you could make one major change to
the industry right now, what would it be? We need to see effective economic action from the government to encourage businesses to invest and people to spend. I’d also like to see more incentives to attract and train a new, diverse generation of talent.
What piece of advice would you give yourself if you could go back to the start of your career? Don’t be afraid to speak up if you have constructive opinions and something of value to offer, no matter your level of experience.
What keeps you busy at the weekend? First and foremost, it’s family time. I would also like to be out playing tennis or going for a run, but unfortunately a hip injury is currently preventing me from doing that. I also like to watch live sport on TV, especially if Liverpool or Harlequins are winning, and finish off the weekend cooking the Sunday roast.
What’s your favourite book? Favourite film? My favourite book is The Kite Runner or The Hobbit. In terms of films, it would have to be The Shawshank Redemption or – to go back to my youth – the first Star Wars film, A New Hope.
If you could be a superhero, which superpower would you choose? I’d want to be Iron Man because unlike many other superheroes, he had the ability to innovate and continuously develop. BMJ
ON THE MOVE
Nick Platt is the new managing director for landscaping at Marshalls, having been sales and marketing director for the UK and Ireland at Baxi. Stacey Temprell is now group marketing director, responsible for the marketing of all Marshalls brands across both Landscaping and Building Products. She was previously group marketing director for Gripple, and marketing director for multiple brands within Saint-Gobain including British Gypsum, and Isover Insulation. Michael Roden has rejoined Marshalls as commercial trading director, having originally
worked for the business between 2016 and 2021 as regional trading manager for the North. Keith Brophy has also returned as national trading director for domestic projects, working closely with merchants and installers. He was originally part of the Marshalls team between 2008 and 2022, as a national sales manager.
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Huws Gray Group has appointed Darren Allison as managing director of the Bathroom Distribution Group. Allison has built numerous bathroom
PLASSON UK has appointed Adam Gatrell as their new Business Development Manager, with the remit to further PLASSON’s reach into the M&E and specifications sectors with the PLASSON MCP System.
businesses including Bathroom Brands Limited and Clearwater Collection.
Pete Banham is the new commercial director at plumbing & heating buying group IPG. He has held both executive and non-executive roles across a wide range
of industries, from plumbing & heating to aerospace, chemicals, and textiles.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net March 2025
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