By James Wells
MELBOURNE: Former Miele national sales manager, Martin Carter, joined Sampford IXL this morning as group general manager – sales, responsible for brands including Gaggenau, Jenn-Air, Neff, La Germania, Cannon, Revox, Mirror Image and the IXL portfolio of products.
Staff from Sampford IXL, which was created earlier this year after the merger of Sampford & Staff and IXL Appliances, were notified of the high-profile appointment this morning.
Carter surprised the whitegoods and small appliance industry in late February with his sudden departure from Miele Australia after eight years, including several years of growth with the company that generated successive sales increases of over 20 per cent year on year.
Sampford IXL managing director, Paul Bridgeford, told Current.com.au that Carter’s appointment follows the expansion of the business through the merger of Sampford & Staff and IXL which has resulted in additional complexity within the sales organisation.
"With overall sales responsibility, Martin will focus on refining the sales structure and associated organisation and support services with the aim of achieving our growth targets. His 20-year exprience in the European appliance industry will make him a great addition to our dynamic sales team," Bridgeford said.
"In reporting to Martin, this appointment will allow Mark Tragear – wholesale and direct, Jennifer Tighe – commercial, Gary Chalmers – wholesale utilities and Peter Breen – wholesale IXL, to further develop their strong relationships with our customer base and expand the business across the Sampford IXL brand portfolio."
Sampford & Staff and IXL Appliances merged on 1 February this year to create Sampford IXL – a wholly Australian owned business with a board made up of representatives from both the IXL and Sampford boards.