After 21 years working for major appliances manufacturer Bosch, brand manager Ken Humphrey has taken early retirement.

Humphrey, aged 56, stepped down from his role on August 31. During his time with the company. Humphrey helped build the Bosch brand from a turnover of £25 million to £250m. And with brand awareness said to have soared from 8% to 40% under his guidance, he said that he was happy to be leaving Bosch "in good shape to face the future challenges of the internet/social media-driven era".

When asked why he was leaving the company, Humphrey commented: "After 21 years,
I think I have achieved as much as I can and am happy to get out at the top! I really want a break and to enjoy the next phase of my life."

Marketing director Rainer Bannworth said that he would be extremely sad to see him go and added: "It's a great shame that Ken is leaving us. He's done a fantastic job for so many years and has been instrumental in helping the brand to grow and evolve both in terms of volume sales and environmental progress and achieve prestigious accolades such as the Which? Best Large Home Appliance Brand for the second time.

"Personally, I will miss his dry sense of humour and his 'say it like it is' style. For many, he was Mr Bosch and we will all be sad to see him go, but wish him a long and happy retirement."

Humphrey will be succeeded as brand manager by his protégé Rosalinda Buttice, who has worked with him for the past two-and-a-half years. Of her appointment, Buttice said: "I have some very big shoes to fill, but I could not have wished for a better mentor. I am really looking forward to the challenge and to building on Ken's huge success."