Former TV boss succeeds Ultimate Products’ founder as chief executive
The founder of Ultimate Products has stepped down as chief executive after a successor was appointed.
Simon Showman founded the Greater Manchester-based listed company in 1997 and has led it ever since.
Andrew Gossage has stepped into the role of CEO, with Mr Showman remaining on the board as chief commercial officer.
The group, which sells Russell Hobbs cookware and laundry products under licence as well as owning the Salter and Beldray brands, floated on the London Stock Exchange in an IPO worth more than £100m in 2017.
Mr Gossage joined Ultimate Products in 2005, initially as finance director before being promoted to managing director in 2014.
Since then, he has been responsible for the group’s strategy as well as overseeing its operational functions and online business.
The new CEO is a chartered accountant and started his career with Arthur Andersen, after which he was the finance director and general manager of Mersey Television.
Mersey Television is the former name of Lime Pictures and has made the likes of Grange Hill and Hollyoaks.
Mr Showman said: “I am delighted that Andrew has agreed to step into the role of CEO and, having run the business with him for nearly 20 years, I am confident that he will do an exceptional job in leading Ultimate Products into the next phase of its growth journey.
“For my own part, I am very excited to be taking on the new role of chief commercial officer, which will allow me to focus on the elements of the job that I relish the most, including business development, product development and managing key retailer relationships.
“I am particularly looking forward to spending more time with our customers in the UK and internationally, building the longstanding and strategic partnerships necessary to drive Ultimate Products’ future growth.”
Mr Gossage added: “It is a huge honour to take on the role of CEO. I am looking forward to continuing to work with Simon and the rest of our excellent team to build on our current capabilities with the ambition of making Ultimate Products the world’s best branded consumer goods business.
“Our strategy remains unchanged, which is to create beautiful and more sustainable products for every home and pursue growth via the online, supermarket and discount channels both here in the UK and internationally.”