Kitchen, bathroom and bedroom retailer Laings of Inverurie has announced the appointment of three new directors to its board.
The new directors are Stuart McKay as operations director, Janine Cameron as finance director and Mark Strachan as creative director. Between them they have 37 years of experience with the business across operations, finance and design. They join existing directors Darren Walker, Kelly Abel and Claire McKay.
Stuart McKay (pictured far left) completed a joinery apprenticeship in 2022 and started working for Laings as a joiner in 2007, becoming bathroom installations supervisor two years later. Since 2016, he has been the company’s operations manager.
Cameron joined Laings 12 years ago as a trainee administration assistant and rose through the ranks to join the board as financial controller in 2016. She achieved a BA (Hons) in accountancy and finance at Robert Gordon University and is currently undertaking a further qualification through the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Strachan became part of the Laings team in 2009 when he joined as a trainee bathroom designer. In 2012, he joined the newly-launched Laings Directline operation as a kitchen and bathroom designer. He became showroom team lead in 2013 and a year later was promoted to principal development designer, managing supplier relationships and curating the Laings product portfolio and overseeing showroom design. In 2019, he became design lead in the redevelopment of the business’s purpose-built showroom.
Commenting on the new appointments, managing director Darren Walker said: “We are delighted to welcome three new directors to our board. Each of our new board members brings years of experience and expertise in their own field. With their knowledge, we are strengthening our team and building a foundation on which we can grow the business through the next decade.”
The retailer, now in its 160th year of trading, walked away from this year’s kbbreview Retail & Design Awards with trophies for Bathroom Retailer of the Year and Kitchen Retailer of the Year and earlier this year saw long-standing managing director Andy Walker retire after 53 years’ service with the business.
Darren Walker added: “We are very grateful to Andy for his astonishing 53 years’ service at Laings. His vision saw Laings transform from a plumbing and heating business into a luxury kitchen, bathroom and bedroom retailer. We are proud that we remain a family business and will continue his commitment to innovation as we move forwards. We wish him a long and happy retirement.”