Garden Centre Group appoints new CEO and CFO

It has been reported by Horticulture Week that the Garden Centre Group has appointed former Avis Europe managing director Kevin Bradshaw as chief executive officer and Terra Firma finance director Nils Steinmeyer as chief financial officer.

Bradshaw ran the worldwide car rental company's UK operations, comprising of £200m domestic revenue and 1,500 employees across 210 sites, including responsibility for balance sheet funding.

He held previous roles at Reuters Finance PLC, a subsidiary of Reuters Group PLC, where he was managing director of the Enterprise Information Division and at Kalchas Group, a strategy consultancy firm, founded as a spin off from McKinsey and Bain & Company where he was responsible for delivering projects to FTSE 100 companies specialising in the retail sector.

He will join The Garden Centre Group on 19 November 2012.

Steinmeyer was a finance director at Garden Centre Group owner Terra Firma with responsibility for The Garden Centre Group and has been a member of The Garden Centre Group’s board since the date of acquisition. He has worked with several Terra Firma businesses, including Deutsche Annington, AWAS and Phoenix Natural Gas. He joined Terra Firma in 2003 as financial controller with a remit to align the financial management and reporting standards across the firm’s portfolio businesses. Prior to joining Terra Firma, he spent 11 years with General Electric Co. He joins with immediate effect.

Garden Centre Group chairman Stephen Murphy said: "I am delighted to announce both Kevin’s appointment as CEO and Nils appointment as CFO of The Garden Centre Group. Kevin’s strong strategic skills and experience of leading large teams makes him ideally positioned to support the Group’s future growth. And Nil’s experience with Terra Firma will be invaluable as the Company continues to grow under their ownership"

Bradshaw said: "This is a fantastic opportunity and I am thrilled to be working with Stephen and the team as we develop The Garden Centre Group’s growth under Terra Firma’s ownership."

Steinmeyer said: "I am looking forward to working with the team at The Garden Centre Group. It is an exciting time to be joining given the group’s development plans."

Terra Firma chairman Guy Hands said: "We are delighted to welcome Kevin as the new chief executive and Nils as CFO. Kevin's turnaround and multi-site experience will help drive the necessary strategic change and operational transformation of The Garden Centre Group in line with Terra Firma's plans. Nils’ experience at Terra Firma makes him ideally positioned to assist with the Company’s development and growth. We look forward to working with them both in growing the garden centre group and expanding its customer base."

Source : Matthew Appleby – Horticulture Week
www.hortweek.com