Martin Breddy (above) has left Scotts in a company restructure, which sees Sheila Hill (right) become UK General Manager.
The Scotts International Business Unit has restructured and, as a result, all European and Asia-Pacific countries, including The Scotts Company (UK) Ltd, will now report directly to the company’s USA headquarters, rather than the previous system – via the International Head Office in Lyon, France.
In practice, this means that the UK division will now be able to independently make its own trading decisions, which ensures that all decision-making is faster.
A statement from the company read:
"For our trade customers, there will be no change – it’s business as usual – actually, it will be better! The changes will enable us to better meet the needs of our customers and the consumer.
"Our 2015 operational plan is in progress and we’re excited by the opportunity for our new products to drive new sales opportunities for both our customers and for Scotts. There are no changes to our supply chain, and we will continue to provide excellent service levels to all our customers.
"These changes do mean, sadly, that Martin Breddy has left the company. Martin’s role as Scotts Miracle-Gro’s VP and General Manager of the UK and Asia Pacific spanned two worldwide regions. Martin leaves us on a high in his personal career, having been pivotal to the thriving position of Scotts Miracle-Gro in the UK, culminating in the highly successful acquisition of the Solus business last year. We wish Martin every success in his new ventures."
Sheila Hill has replaced Martin as UK General Manager, so the company is in very safe hands moving forward. Sheila has worked for Scotts Miracle-Gro for many years. She started 18 years ago as Lawns Brand Manager. More recently, her role was Vice President and International Marketing Lead, working on new product development, strategy and marketing plans across all the European countries.
There are no changes to our local sales and marketing teams, which continue to be led by Rainer Schubert and Paula Parker respectively.
Sheila says: “I am delighted to take the baton from Martin and lead the UK business. I have been fortunate to stay close to the UK business in my international marketing roles, and know it and many of our key customers very well. I look forward to immersing myself in the UK business and am lucky to have the support of the existing UK Management Team to continue to drive the business forward. The UK is already the star performer in the Scotts’ portfolio and with these changes we will drive even more value for the consumer as well as greater growth for our customers as well as for Scotts.”
