Whirlpool has made three changes within its team. Tim Buszka has been appointed as Head of Brand and Digital, UK & Ireland. There have also been promotions within the company Kimberley Garner (pictured right) is now Hotpoint Brand Manager, and Charmaine Warner (pictured left) expands her responsibilities by being Indesit Brand Manager as well as Whirlpool Brand Manager.
Buszka has joined Whirlpool UK from Whirlpool in the Benton Harbour, Michigan, USA. He held the position of category manager across all premium brands of built-in appliances and is a long-standing employee of Whirlpool USA.
Buszka said: “The UK is an exciting juncture in my career where I can bring passion and add experience. With the unique dichotomy of brands that offer a healthy and strong value proposition, we have the benefit of attracting and engaging with over 70% of UK consumers.
“With the great team at Whirlpool UK, we will continue to build on the success of the brands and unlock their value proposition, whilst developing valuable relationships with our consumers.
“Furthermore, with the move of consumers purchasing online, we will work with our retail trade partners to create new and unique platforms, as well as introduce a multitude of innovative ways to make our products easily attainable, engaging with consumers to solve their problems, ushering in more visitors.”
Kimberley Garner has been appointed as Hotpoint Brand Manager. Garner has been with the company and been promoted several times.
She started her career in digital marketing and was promoted to digital marketing manager in 2017. During this position, she managed all of the brand’s digital channels, including their websites and social media. She created content for the channels, and worked on branded campaigns, managing all digital aspects of campaign activation.
Garner said: “Hotpoint is a brand that cares and aims to make home life easier for consumers. It is important that we build on this, and I look forward to bringing my digital experience, knowledge around how media works and understanding of campaigns to really push the Hotpoint brand forward.
“At Hotpoint, we’re constantly listening to insights and follow emerging trends to create home appliances that offer consumers the solutions they need at home. We aim to build on Hotpoint’s ethos to care through expanding our portfolio of appliances and running campaigns that have consumer needs at their heart. I hope to lean on my digital experience to really push our brand strategy in 2021 to ultimately grow the Hotpoint brand and create more opportunities for our retail trade partners.”
Charmaine Warner was appointed to Whirlpool brand manager in February 2020. After working in that role, she has been promoted to also be Indesit brand manager. She has been with the company since 2014 and started off as national account manager, before taking on the role of refrigeration trade marketing manager.
Warner said: “A key focus for Whirlpool is to increase distribution and awareness of the brand and its innovative appliances.
“Indesit is completely different to Whirlpool, and I look forward to working with both brands, bringing them to the forefront of their target market. Indesit is an entry-level appliance manufacturer, and we are focused on understanding the needs of our consumers on an emotional level.
Indesit has an ‘always-on’ strategy, which is key for driving brand awareness. I aim to build on this to ensure that Indesit is always visible, taking advantage of the fantastic new products that are in the pipeline. We also have some exciting plans for the #DoItTogether campaign, which has been the core of the Indesit brand for three years now,” says Charmaine.
Hugo Silva, marketing director, UK and Ireland, said “With the many on-going challenges ahead there has never been a more important time to excite and bring new and fresh ideas to the market. With the introduction of Tim to the marketing team, and with the promotions of Kimberley and Charmaine, this truly expands the opportunity to ensure continued success across all of our brands.”