Premium domestic appliance manufacturer, Miele has appointed John Pickering as Managing Director of its GB subsidiary with immediate effect, succeeding Simon Grantham who left the business earlier this year.

John brings a wealth of leadership and sales experience to Miele, having spent the last eight years at the blue-chip FMCG business, Mars.  His last position there was as General Manager for Mars Ireland, responsible for all brand categories and aspects of the Dublin-based operation, with achievements in business performance, customer focus and employee engagement.

With a degree in Business, Insurance and Finance, John Pickering’s career originally started in 1990 as a private banking manager for Lloyds, which led him to a position at Mars Confectionery as a national account manager.  From there he moved to Kraft Foods UK in 1998 where he held various leadership and management positions working with household brands such as Asda and Tesco, becoming sales strategy director for Kraft International. John returned to Mars in 2010.

Noël Smets, Regional Managing Director North-West Europe says, “John has a proven track record in achieving sustainable, quality business growth built through leading strong engaged teams.  He is used to working for a family business and shares many of the Miele values around employee engagement, exemplary customer service, integrity and quality.  We very much look forward to him joining our team in the UK.”

John Pickering says, “I am hugely excited to join Miele GB.  The brand’s reputation for quality of product and service speaks for itself.  I am looking forward to meeting the team and our customers, listening to their challenges and understanding how everything works in what will be a new sector for me.  I hope to bring an outside perspective which I am confident will add value and build on what is already a fantastic business.”