Stuart Burgin has been appointed Chief Executive of William Sinclair Horticulture, the growing media, fertilisers and chemicals producer.

He succeeds Peter Rush, CEO for the past two years, who has left the company having commissioned its new £25m compost facility in Ellesmere Port and re-launched the J. Arthur Bower’s, Growing Success and Deadfast product ranges.

Mr Burgin, 52, has extensive senior management experience, most notably in the food and grocery sector where he worked for RHM, Robert McBride and, most recently, Oscar Mayer as CEO.

He will spearhead phase two of Sinclair’s transformation from a traditional peat harvester to a world-leading producer of locally sourced, ecologically sustainable growing media as the company responds to the changing regulatory climate.

A turnaround expert, Mr Burgin will devise and implement a programme to streamline operations and return Sinclair to profitability following a period of heavy capital investment.

“I am joining a first class team,” said Mr Burgin, “and I look forward to leading this great British company into a new era.”