Chris Willett appointed as Managing Director of Schöck Ltd

Schöck Ltd has appointed Chris Willett BA(Hons) Dip.M. as Managing Director from the 1st of January 2014. After graduating from Nottingham Trent University, Chris joined Alllied, Steel & Wire as part of their management training scheme in 1990. Soon moving into product development and then becoming project manager for Macalloy, a subsidiary of Allied Steel & Wire, which provided specialist steel systems to the construction market. The role involved tracking major projects both at home and overseas, from initial inception with the specifier, through to project completion and included all pricing decisions, programming and project planning decisions.

In 1997, Macalloy was acquired by the Halifax Industrial Group and with his previous experience, plus fluent German and excellent French, Chris was the natural choice to become Sales Manager for Europe. A further acquisition, by the Meade Group in 2001, resulted in him becoming UK Sales Manager with responsibility for the implementation of domestic sales strategy through the internal and external sales teams, as well as managing the overseas distribution network.

A successful MBO of the business in August 2003 led to Chris being appointed as Sales Director of the newly independent business. A position that in ten years saw him responsible for the sales and marketing operation expand across 40 countries and Macalloy being awarded the Queen's Award for Export. During this period, turnover grew from £6.2m to over £13m and established Macalloy as one of the leading companies in its sector, with 80% of its revenue coming from overseas.

It is this wealth of experience, combined with a highly disciplined approach to organisational demands and a tireless work ethic, that has led to his appointment as MD for Schöck Ltd, following the retirement of his predecessor, Michael Currier. Chris comments: "I have inherited a very professional team and it is paramount that we continue to provide the level of service and product innovation that the market has come to expect from Schöck Ltd. My priorities are to ensure that the highly successful sales and technical teams in the UK are equipped with the necessary tools to enable the company to meet and exceed its targets; and ensure the business has the right  structure in place to continue to service its partners effectively and to guarantee sustainable long term growth".

For further information contact Schöck Ltd on 01865 290 890 or visit www.schoeck.co.uk