Highlights of 75 years - Hettich

Clive Sparrow retires news
New managing
director for
Hettich UK
After more than 16 years
at the helm of Hettich UK,
Clive Sparrow has moved on
to well-earned retirement.
His successor as managing
director is Tim Leedham, who
brings to the job many years
of success in the furniture
industry and at Hettich. Also
on the management team are
Phil Tipson as general sales
manager and Debbie Rathbone
responsible for finances and
controlling.
Clive Sparrow made the furniture
industry his career for over 40 years.
He already had substantial experience at
Wadkin Woodworking Machinery and LB
Plastics when he joined the Hettich Group
in January 1989, heading up the newly
founded subsidiary Hettich UK, based
in Manchester. He steered the company
through good times and bad. Under
his steady hand, Hettich UK achieved
continuous growth, putting the company
today among the UK market leaders.
In addition to his job as managing
director of Hettich UK, Clive Sparrow
for many years also wore another hat
as chairman of the ASFI (Association of
Suppliers to the Furniture Industry). His
hard work in furthering the interests of
components suppliers and the decisive
role he played in shaping the development
of the ASFI won him wide recognition
in the industry.
Tim Leedham, who takes over from
Clive as managing director, has been
part of the Hettich UK team since 1989
and knows the industry inside out.
Tim Leedham began his furniture industry
career as a designer. He spent two years
in New York, adding an international
dimension to his know-how. In the 1990s,
he began a course of business studies,
finally taking an MBA degree from University
of Bradford Management School
in 1996. Ever since then, Tim Leedham
has played a substantial role in the
successful development of Hettich UK.
The company‘s strategy for the
medium-term is to expand its position
in the professional market segment –
meeting the needs of cabinet makers and
interior fitters. Tim Leedham explains:
“Growth potential for Hettich UK is in the
segment professional/trade and the key
to success here is our product range and
the services we can offer. All business
Tim Leedham (left) has taken over
from Clive Sparrow as managing
director of Hettich UK in Manchester.
with industry customers is handled
directly by the parent company, because
it‘s the only way to compete successfully
in the volume market.“ To reach the goals
it has set itself, the Hettich UK team has
been enlarged. Leedham: “We‘re investing
in a well-qualified sales team supported
by an efficient back office. Close, personal
contact with customers is as important in
generating growth as impeccable service
in online sales.“
The new crew, Tim Leedham, Phil Tipson
and Debbie Rathbone, have their
sights set on new horizons with Hettich
UK on course for growth. In retirement,
Clive Sparrow will be able to keep a weather
eye on developments from the decks of
his yacht off the English south coast.
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