Headlam’s incoming ceo says he will ‘listen and learn’ as he looks to turn around the group’s fortunes.
Rob Barclay will join the flooring distributor on 9 March before becoming ceo on 27 April. Stephen Bird, Headlam interim executive chairman will return to his role as non-executive chairman.
‘I’m excited to be joining a company with a long history and a clear plan for improvement at such an important time in its journey. My priority will be to listen and learn, be clear on what drives our success, and work with the team to deliver this,’ says Barclay.
The groups says Barclay brings ‘deep understanding of specialist distribution, complex supply chains, and customer dynamics’ combined with ‘more than 25 years of leadership track record in building products manufacturing and distribution businesses, including relevant flooring experience, as well as leading transformation programmes and delivering operational excellence.’
Barclay has held roles at SIG and National Timber Group and was most recently ceo at electrical, data, control, and specialist cable supplier Batt Cables for 13 months, before the Kent-headquartered company went into administration in January. It operated eight sites in the UK and seven in continental Europe, employing 334 people. Administrators said it had ‘encountered ongoing liquidity difficulties due to challenging market conditions in recent years.’
He was also a non-executive director at Speedy Hire.
‘Under Rob’s leadership, we will seek to drive through the strategic focus and organisational enhancements required for the next phase of our development,’ says Bird.
Richard Jones has also joined as interim cfo. He had been interim cfo at HSS Hire Group since 2024.
