Sterling Furniture Group has appointed a new chief executive.
In August, John Pattison will take up the top job at the Tillicoultry-headquartered home furnishing group, which was first established in 1973.
Originally from Glasgow, he has operated as a board director for more than 20 years, having most recently spent almost four years as commercial director at Sunderland-based furniture retailer ScS.
His appointment follows a competitive recruitment process with executive search firm Carlyle Associates.
Pattison joins the group at a milestone in its 50-year history, with transition to the Sterling Home brand ongoing across 10 Scottish showrooms and a new generation of founder George Knowles’ family stepping up to become directors.
Deputy managing director Lesley Graham said: “After a rigorous recruitment process where we interviewed a breadth of excellent candidates, we feel we’ve found absolutely the right person for our new CEO role in John Pattison.
“A highly experienced retail leader, he worked his way up from the shop floor to boardroom roles at major national firms, including ScS, Londis and Booker Retail Partners.
“We were very impressed by the way he dedicated a significant amount of time getting to know the business during the recruitment process, visiting each of our stores in person multiple times.”
Graham’s two sons, Murray and Euan, and her nephew George, have been appointed as company directors.
Current managing director Gordon Mearns will work with Pattison during his initial months in post, to ensure a smooth transition.
Mearns is stepping down from Sterling after two decades at the helm, during which time he grew the company to include 600 staff.
The business has begun a programme of investment, relaunching its flagship store at Tillicoultry under the Sterling Home brand.
It is also investing significantly in digital functions to drive consumer traffic - an area in which Pattison has experience, having led the rebranding of the ScS website in 2020.
Pattison said: “Over the past few years, the business has shown great courage and ambition in transforming into Sterling Home.
“I know that the aspiration of the family, following in the footsteps of our founder George Knowles, is to continue to inspire Scotland’s homes as we enter the next 50 years.”
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