Martin Race, who last year stepped down from his role as Managing Director of Bestway, has joined wholesaler Parfetts as Chairman of its trust board. He replaces Graham Nuttall.
The board will comprise of the company’s joint MD’s Greg Suszczenia and David Grimes, together with the two employee elected members Aaron Forward and Kerry Brennan, as chair and vice-chair of the Central Voice.
The trust board meets biannually to review performance and be updated on the executive board strategy.
Commenting on Race’s appointment, Suszczenia said: “Graham has been an excellent chairman during the company’s transition to full employee ownership. Now as we enter a new era for the company, Martin’s industry experience, together with his personability makes him the ideal chairman to help the company grow while upholding the interests of all employees.”
During his time at Bestway, Race led the company back to profitability. He also had a 26-year career in trading at Batley’s, which included the creation of a separate Petfood division. He has had active roles on various councils including the FWD and has wider interests in the industry.
Aaron Forward of Parfetts commented: “As our company continues to grow, we feel his extensive experience and knowledge of running larger national businesses within the same sector will be an excellent asset for both employees and management alike.”
Race added: “I look forward to this new role, which gives me a chance to return, in a small way, to the wholesale sector that I have missed, and in a business, I have always admired.”
Parfetts recently posted record annual results, with its turnover climbing 9.8% to £380m and pre-tax profits jumping 17.5% to £6.1m. The growth was supported by independent retailers joining its retail club and Go Local symbol group in record numbers. The company now supports over 500 symbol stores in Go Local and 3,500 in its retail club.
