Orkla House Care UK has appointed Chris Wood as Managing Director and Sarah Coussens as Brand Manager - Trade.
With a wealth of experience in the DIY and home improvement industry, encompassing sales roles within Black & Decker and DeWalt as well as operations roles across EMEA, Wood was most recently UK Sales Director at Farrow & Ball.
He said: “This is a very exciting appointment for me as Orkla is uniquely positioned to take advantage of group synergies, develop our overall painting tools category and empower decorating heroes. We are ambitious and are looking to lead the entire UK market in this area.
“Our well-respected brands such as Hamilton, Harris and Lynwood, combined with our customer focus and commitment to invest in innovation, will ensure we provide our customers with the highest quality paint application and cleaning products available on the market.”
A highly experienced marketer with over 20 years’ experience, Coussens (pictured) previously worked within the building products sector at both Mapei and Instarmac, gaining great insight into the builders’ merchant route to market. Most recently at Vax, Coussens looked after communications and relationships with nationals there, managing national POS rollouts and delivering real in-store results based on customers insights. Coussens is now responsible for the prestigious Hamilton brand, trusted by professional painters and decorators.
She said: “Orkla has a great portfolio of well-known brands, including professional decorating tools brand, Hamilton. This is an exciting opportunity for me to further develop Hamilton’s presence and potential within the market place.”
