Steve Breen has been announced as the new managing director for VitrA Bathrooms, UK. He takes over from Levent Giray, who retires at the end of the month after a remarkable 30 years in the position, having first brought the VitrA brand to the UK in 1992.

Breen joins VitrA from his role as general manager for Finning UK and Ireland. He returns to the bathroom industry from an earlier role with Ideal Standard, where he was sales director for three years. Breen brings a wealth of experience from both light and heavy side construction industries, having also grown businesses for Electrolux, AkzoNobel Coatings and SITECH UK.

Giray says, “I’m very proud of what the company has achieved over the last 30 years and grateful to have led a fantastic team. VitrA continues to hold a strong position in the market with an unparalleled product portfolio. With his breadth of industry experience, I have no doubt that Steve will continue to drive the business forward.”

Breen says, “The VitrA business is a strong and enviable one – the team have achieved so much during Levent’s tenure. I look forward to working with everyone in this next chapter for VitrA UK.”

At its meeting on June 28, the Supervisory Board of Duravit AG prematurely and unanimously extended the contract of CEO Stephan Tahy for five more years until 2027.

Duavit reports this is not only due to the success of the last financial year, but also because they are convinced that Stephan Tahy and his Executive Board colleagues, Thomas Stammel and Martin Winkle, have been able to build on the successes of the past and will continue to realize Duravit’s full potential in future.

In July 2020, Tahy became CEO of the family business that employs a global workforce of about 7,000 and operates in over 130 countries. His contract was due to run until 2023.

“I’m delighted about the early contract extension and the show of trust in me,” said Stephan Tahy. “Only by working together can we achieve our ambitious goals. That’s why we want to take advantage of the fair winds and shape the necessary changes together.”

Duravit on a growth trajectory and a climate mission

With Stephan Tahy at the helm as CEO, Duravit managed to generate record turnover of €604 million in the last financial year, a year-on-year increase of some 28 percent. “Despite the difficult circumstances on the global economy, we’re closing in on the billion mark,” he explained.

Duravit remains on track for success: In the first quarter the company generated total turnover of 172.1 million euros(2021: €140 million euros).

Growth, including the one-off effect of the Bernstein consolidation, stood at 22.9 percent.

Additionally, Duravit has embarked on a comprehensive climate mission: by 2045 the company from Hornberg in the Black Forest wants to be an entirely climate-neutral business at global level without relying on offsetting or trading CO2 emissions.

“None of this would be possible without the team effort of our employees who recreate this success every day afresh despite challenging and changing prevailing conditions. These are the best prerequisites for implementing our corporate vision of ‘We upgrade people’s everyday life’ for all of our stakeholders Board”, says Tahy.

Annette Becker will join Duravit AG as vice president global marketing with responsibility for the newly merged division of marketing and commercial product management.

On completing her PhD in business studies, she spent many years working in product management at Bosch, also heading up brand management and the user experience segment. Latterly she was head of global marketing at the fischer group in addition to her role as regional director.

The appointment of Ms. Becker is consistent with Duravit’s realignment: to achieve its strategic goals of satisfying changing customer requirements and focusing on innovations, the designer bathroom manufacturer is restructuring the areas of marketing and product/portfolio management.

“Annette Becker’s profile as a manager for this newly merged division is a perfect match to the realignment of our business,” explained Stephan Tahy, CEO of Duravit AG.

The 50-year-old is delighted with her new role: “Duravit is a brilliant brand that represents both German tradition and iconic design. What could be more exciting than developing customer-oriented innovations to make this brand even more successful?”

Mereway has announced the appointment of Gavin Wheelan as its new area sales manager for the North of England

Gavin brings a raft of industry knowledge and experience to Mereway, having worked for the last 8 years in the stone sector for leading manufacturers Cosentino and Laminam, and previously in sales management for Wickes, B &Q and Kutchenhous.

In his spare time Gavin loves to hit the DJ decks for weddings, birthdays etc with occasional stints on local radio and also manages the odd game of rugby.

Managing director Mark Mills says, “we are delighted to welcome Gavin to the Mereway team. He joins us at a very exciting time for the company, with new products and operational advances. Gavin’s wide-ranging experience will be a huge asset to the company and we are looking forward to his contribution to our Christmas party!”

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