Mike Newnham has joined Etag from Saint-Gobain, having been chief executive of Saint-Gobain Building Distribution Ltd and managing director of sister company Jewsons.
He stepped down in April 2023 shortly after the two business were taken over by Stark Group, a Danish building materials distributor owned by private equity firm CVC Capital Partners.
Newnham was with Saint-Gobain for five years. Before that has was chief customer officer at Royal Mail for five years, which followed a decade with mobile telecoms firm Orange UK as chief financial officer and then vice president. He began his career qualifying as a chartered accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
He says that his experience of leading strategic transformation and growth with three large organisations in different industries lends itself to helping Etag achieve its growth ambitions.
Etag Fixings was established in Dublin in 2004 as a distributor of materials to drylining, insulation and M&E contractors. In 2011 it set up Etag Fixings UK in Dagenham. In 2022 the business was acquired by private equity investor Foresight Group for €8m.
Mike Newnham said: “Having the opportunity to join Etag was an attractive proposition, with the business having such a strong history and being family-owned with an entrepreneurial culture. This provides a strong platform to begin the next exciting part of its journey.
“We are in a great position to elevate the business’ existing capabilities with new services, to drive significant improvements, building on what we offer to existing customers and suppliers, and striking new relationships with businesses who can also benefit from what we do.
“My immediate objectives are to find ways to improve our customer experience, putting people first supported by new digital platforms and new technologies, and ensure sustainability runs throughout our operations.
“What’s been clear to me from day one is that Etag excels at creating strong relationships with customers and suppliers, and it’s this, along with the team’s expertise and can-do approach, that means the business is in a strong position to grow significantly in the coming years.”
