Graham Johnston joins Donaldson in this newly created role from the supermarket group Asda, where he was director of customer support. He previously spent a decade at the telecoms company Hutchison 3G UK (Three), reaching the post of ‘head of omnichannel’.
His appointment follows a restructuring at Donaldson into three new divisions: offsite, interiors, and retail & distribution.
Mr Johnston will lead the retail and distribution division, including: timber merchant MGM Timber; distributor of insulation and drylining products, James Donaldson Insulation; Nu-Style Products, which manufactures wet wall panels; and Plane & Simple, an online DIY marketplace.
Alex Donaldson was appointed CEO of Donaldson Offsite in January 2022 and Gerry Watson became CEO of Donaldson Interiors a month later.
Group chief executive Andrew Donaldson said: “Retail behaviours have been evolving across all industries, with a move toward online purchasing being expedited by the Covid-19 pandemic. As our group portfolio continues to grow, we aim to ensure that our offering grows with our business and with our customers. Graham’s excellent experience optimising multiple customer channels for globally-recognised brands is an enormous asset to the Donaldson Group, and we are looking forward to his expertise and insight as we develop our own retail and distribution channels.”
Graham Johnston added: “Bringing together the physical and digital retail businesses is a refreshing and forward-thinking move by the Donaldson Group, and I’m delighted to be joining this newly formed division as CEO.
“Joining a business that has such a rich history of innovation and growth over the past 162 years is a real honour and I’m looking forward to working with our talented teams across the group to carry on that spirit of innovation and shape the next chapter for the retail and distribution business.”
Currently led by the sixth generation of Donaldson, the 162-year-old Donaldson Group comprises 17 specialist timber and building product businesses and brands, operating from 46 locations across the UK and employing more than 1,600 people.
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