
Appliance brand Middleby Residential has appointed former CDA MD Dominic Worsley as its new UK group managing director.
In his new role, Worsley will be responsible for heading up the company’s comprehensive portfolio of brands, which includes Aga, Rangemaster, Rayburn, La Cornue, Novy and Josper.
Worsley spent the last two years as the managing director of CDA, but has also had a wide variety of roles outside the KBB sector. During his tenure as sales director at Groupe SEB, he was responsible for launching small domestical appliance brand Tefal into major retailers, including the likes of Tesco and Amazon.
He later joined Disney as marketing director for consumer products, where he is credited with rejuvenating the Winnie the Pooh brand. Worsley also led Miele UK’s marketing, where he became the first non-German to serve as the company’s global marketing director following his successful efforts to grow the company’s market share.
Discussing Worsley’s appointment, Middleby Residential Group president Najib Maalouf commented: “It is customary for Middleby to promote from within, but in this instance the decision was taken to identify talent on the outside. Dominic has dealt with complex issues related to sales and marketing within the luxury brands market and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have him on board.
“He has an infectious passion for our portfolio of brands and his fresh perspective on how they can be developed further will be invaluable.”
Worsley also added: “I’m hugely inspired by the heritage of the AGA Rangemaster brands, along with the other premium Middleby Residential brands and the passionate individuals I’ve met so far. The launch of stunning new products and models – coupled with more than 100 years of UK manufacturing legacy – presents a wealth of opportunity.
“I’m excited to work with teams across the business to uncover stories that can drive disruptive marketing and sales activities, boost growth and increase consumer interest in these truly iconic British and European brands.”
It is believed that the new managing director of Nottinghamshire-based CDA is former Wilko retail director Chris Ward, after he posted the news on Linkedin last week. It has yet to be formally confirmed by CDA itself.
In his post on LinkedIn, Ward announced: “Next week I will be joining CDA Domestic Appliances as managing director.”
He also added: “In the process of joining I’ve been hugely impressed by the heritage of the brand, the focus on innovation and the passion of the CDA team.”
Recently, Najib Maalouf, global president of Middleby Residential, spoke to kbbreview about the number of KBB companies who have recently ceased production on British soil, sharing his hopes that the government will do more to encourage UK manufacturers.