Palletline completes its team with new operations director

Palletline has completed its new-look management team with the appointment of an operations director.

Iain Brown has joined the network as it targets a new period of growth with the introduction of new services such as direct trunking.

Brown, who was with CM Downton, spent eight years with the Canute Group with operational responsibility for sites in the North of England and several key accounts, including Lakeland and The Perfume Shop. He replaces Mark Pulford, who left the business earlier this year.

Steve Butler has also been recruited as head of network services at the network. He replaces Sue Hodgson, who held the title of general manager network services at Palletlline and departed earlier this year. Butler was must recently customer services manager at Kuehne + Nagel’s Whitbread contract.

Butler heads a networks services team consisting of five regional network services managers, a set up that won the pallet network Motor Transport’s Team of the Year award earlier this year, as well as Palletline’s customer services team.

“This is the final part of the puzzle,” said Kevin Buchanan, MD at Palletline. “The team we have now will help the business reach an even higher level.”

Building for the future

Palletline is currently building its sales function, and is recruiting regional business development managers that will work alongside the network team, reporting to sales and marketing director Martin Rantle.

The business development managers will pursue big-ticket contracts for the network beyond the capability of individual haulier-members to win, as part of a growth in centralised services at Palletline, which has been driven by a growing demand from its member-hauliers.

Rantle, an ex-TNT man, was appointed in August, taking on the first ever dedicated sales and marketing director role at the network. He is supported by Maria Holmes-Keeling as marketing manager.

Troy Bailey, general manager – operations at the network has become head of operations as part of the revisions, and Roger Merison has joined as depot manager of Palletline’s London hub.