Ideal Standard has announced that UK and Ireland managing director Dave Barber is to retire from the company after 20 years’ service.
Barber will step down from the role in May and will be succeeded by Lisa Whitfield, who joins the company from Interface, the worldwide commercial flooring company.
Barber has held a number of finance leadership positions, including finance director over his 20 years’ service with Ideal Standard.
Barber assumed the MD role in April 2020 from Stephen Ewer, who himself took it over from Jim Moore. Before that, Barber had stepped in as interim managing director after the departure of previous MD Keith Boad.
Barber is the fifth person to have held the MD role at Ideal Standard since 2010.
While in the role, Barber was instrumental in the strategic consolidation of Ideal Standard’s brands, including the launch of the Atelier brand created in collaboration with Palomba Serafini Associati. He also led the introduction of Singular – the company’s new approach to specification.
Lisa Whitfield drove a number of key initiatives to improve the customer journey during her time at Interface. Before that she spent 27 years at Newell Brands, including managing UK writing brands, such as Paper Mate, Parker and Sharpie.
Commenting on Whitfield’s appointment, Ideal Standard International chief executive Jan Peter Tewes said: “We are hugely grateful to Dave for his commitment to Ideal Standard for the past 20 years. His strong leadership and knowledge of our business have been invaluable in supporting our ongoing growth and ensuring we are in the strongest position for the future. Lisa brings a wealth of expertise to the role and we are looking forward to seeing the UK and Irish markets continue to thrive and succeed under her direction.”
Of her new role, Whitfield commented: “This is a really exciting time to be joining Ideal Standard, with the company having made a number of strategic decisions to bolster its portfolio, bringing together its innovative technology and design credentials to create high performance solutions that are constantly challenging the market. I am looking forward to working closely with the team to continue to develop and grow the business, putting a real emphasis on the service and innovation we offer to ensure we retain our market-leading position. It’s clear to see how much has already been achieved and that gives us a great foundation to continue on this journey.”