New ceo Ceri Stirland announces GCA vice-president’s move up to customer and channel director
Darren Cave has been appointed as customer and channel director at UK Greetings, with new ceo Ceri Stirland making the announcement this morning, 21 February.
Darren takes over the role from Ceri as she moves up to become the first female ceo of international at the West Yorkshire-based publisher, which includes UKG, Carlton Greetings, and John Sands, following the retirement of James Conn, effective form 1 March.
Prior to starting his greeting card career, Darren spent almost 10 years in retail at Tesco, then joined Watermark Publishing in 2005 working as part of the commercial team before progressing to associate commercial director in 2011.
In 2014, Darren took his first UKG role as director of merchandising, before adding independent sales to his remit in 2017. He has been part of the senior team in the role of commercial director since 2018 and his remit was expanded further with the addition of the business improvement and international business units. Darren is currently the vice-president of the GCA industry association, and Ceri is a past president.
Ceri said: “Darren has gained a wealth of experience in our business and industry, and this, along with his retail experience and proven track record, ensures he is well placed to take on his new role and ensure we continue our growth trajectory. I’m sure you will join me in wishing Darren every success.”
Top: UKG’s new customer and channel director Darren Cave (left) with new ceo Ceri Stirland and James Conn, who retires on 1 March
