Metamark UK Ltd has announced the appointment of Phil Wild to the role of CEO in a move to strengthen the company’s board in support of plans for continued growth.
Metamark is set to drive sales beyond £100M through further international expansion, merger and acquisition initiatives, new product introductions and organic growth in its core sign and display markets.
Paul French, well known in sign and display circles and previously Metamark’s CEO, joined the Metamark in 2012 and now assumes a new full-time role as Metamark’s Executive Chairman retaining strategic oversight. French led an MBO acquiring Metamark from its founders in 2017 with the backing of Primary Capital, and has since overseen substantial profitable growth during his tenure, in collaboration with Metamark’s Senior Team, delivering notable international growth too.
Phil Wild joins Metamark as CEO. He spent ten years as CEO of AIM-listed James Cropper PLC. In Wild’s tenure, Cropper’s delivered a tenfold profit growth. Wild brings acquisition and integration experience to Metamark, and notable expertise in developing and managing growth in niche, speciality, and disruptive materials businesses. Before his tenure at James Cropper PLC, Wild had a substantial career at 3M, where he dedicated two decades, progressing in various directorial roles. He is a graduate engineer from Loughborough University with further executive education at the London Business Schools and Wharton University.
Metamark’s ambitions will see the company continuing to leverage both its brand and its technical abilities. The company has announced its intentions to accelerate its growth on new international fronts and to launch inventive and disruptive new products that allow it to enter new markets worldwide. Metamark has previously demonstrated something of a talent for developing and commercialising novel materials with recent introductions welcomed by wrappers, décor specialists and the automotive sector. Metamark says it is keeping its new products pipeline primed and that it will continue to introduce products that benefit signs and graphics producers.
Metamark has also signposted the expansion of its MetaStream programme, a first in its core markets. MetaStream allows Metamark and its customers to recycle production and recovered waste materials, even printed and laminated graphics and retired vehicle liveries, keeping them out of landfills and incineration. The programme takes these materials and turns them into articles that can themselves be recycled time and again.
In welcoming Phil Wild to his new Role at Metamark, Paul French said, “Phil joins Metamark at an important time on its journey. Metamark has demonstrated well-rounded technical and commercial capabilities and the attraction of its brand in all the markets and regions of the world where its products are available. Pressing our advantages at pace and scale will make Metamark a bigger and even more profitable company than it is today. We needed another set of experienced hands to run with this latent potential and I know we have found them. I will now have the time I need to further our strategic planning and see Metamark deliver the next phase in its continuing growth.”
Phil Wild said of his new role at Metamark, “I’m delighted to have found Metamark and to have accepted the CEO role as the company positions to deliver its full promise and potential. We get to work with immediate effect looking to accelerate organic growth across all areas of the business, and further explore various M&A opportunities whilst also pulling through an exciting new products pipeline that will attract more new customers to the company. Metamark contemplates a wider international horizon and will be pressing on with its partners and behind new business models that serve the needs of our core markets and beyond. Metamark has a great brand, wonderful products, and very talented people. I’m fully committed to our success.”
