Martin Vergien has been promoted with immediate effect to become Vice President and Managing Director of Coleman EMEA GmbH.

Through this promotion, he takes on responsibility for managing the brands belonging to the Newell Group (Coleman, Campingaz, Sevylor and Aerobed) in the EMEA region. He is stepping up as the official successor to Marc Hill, having already held this post on an interim basis for several months. In addition to his new role, he retains his responsibility as Vice President for Finance.

Martin Vergien is ideally qualified for his new assignment: he has already proven himself in various positions in the international environment, including in the UK, France and China. He began his career at the prestigious consumer goods manufacturer Mars, where he worked in various international positions, ultimately serving as the Finance Director for Petcare Europe. After a period working as the Finance Director at Belron/Carglass in London, in 2010 he came to Frankfurt as the Vice President for Finance & IT at Coleman EMEA GmbH.

In this role, he has successfully collaborated with the regional management team to significantly improve cost and profit structures over recent years in order to secure the long-term success of the EMEA organisation.

Rich Wuerthele, CEO of the Newell Outdoor & Recreation Division, congratulates Martin Vergien on his new role: “Under his leadership as interim general manager, the Coleman team has been able to continue delivering strong results. I would like to thank him especially for this work and congratulate him on this well-deserved promotion.”

Martin Vergien, who is married and has four children, is himself a passionate barbecue fan and outdoor enthusiast (hiking, mountain biking and road racing). He feels he is well equipped to handle the challenges of the outdoor and barbecue markets with innovative products such as the Coleman tents with BlackOut bedrooms and the Campingaz Master Series gas barbecues with unique features. Vergien comments, “Over recent years, we have constantly developed our organisation across Europe and we are in an excellent position to win additional market shares in the growing barbecue and outdoor markets.”