Chris Dickins (pictured) will take over as Sampford IXL CEO from today, formally replacing Rob Hoorn who retired in July. He takes the reins from Richard Drury, IXL Group CFO who had been acting in the role for the past few months.
Most recently as general manager at Brand Developers, Chris led the introduction of the Shark, Ninja, Nutri Bullet and inStyler brands into the Australian retail market. He was formerly managing director and CEO at Salton Australia/NZ, from January 2007-July 2011, manufacturing and distributing branded product under the Russell Hobbs, George Foreman, iRobot and Westinghouse SDA brands.
“With more than 150 years of manufacturing experience in Australia, creating consumer driven branded product, the group has a wealth of knowledge in this space. I am looking forward to working closely with the Sampford IXL team in driving and expanding on these successes into the future,” Dickens said.
“We are delighted that Chris will be leading the Sampford IXL business,” Sampford IXL Chairman Rob Backwell added. “Chris brings extensive knowledge and success in establishing and growing icon branded consumer product in Australia and NZ, and we share a strong commitment to further developing the brands and growing the business through product innovation.”