Roberts (pictured), 44, had been General Manager of Roche until 2009, then part of St Ives plc. He left to become European Operations Director at Supplair, the airline supply chain management business of Gate Group plc. Wyndeham Group bought Roche, which employs 258, as part of the acquisition of St Ives plc's Web Division that completed in April 2011.
Paul Utting, chief executive officer of Wyndeham Group, said: “I'm delighted Jon has decided to join us. He’s a high calibre individual with proven operational and manufacturing management skills that will, undoubtedly, enhance Roche's position as one of the leading web offset printing facilities in the UK."
Roberts commented: "Having worked in this sector for 20 years and been involved with Roche for six of those, I understand the business very well. I've followed Wyndeham's rapid progress and was particularly attracted by its exciting market strategy and sensible approach to the challenges that lie ahead. I'm looking forward to supporting the Roche team to ensure we maximise the huge potential that is embedded in this well-invested factory."
Roberts will succeed Brian Harris, who is relocating to the north England to be with his family.
About Wyndeham Group
Wyndeham says: “Wyndeham Group is the largest commercial web offset printing business in the UK, employing 1,178 staff across eight manufacturing sites with headquarters in London. Turnover for 2011 was approximately £125 million. The group provides web offset printing, sheet-fed printing, continuous direct mail, and pre-media services for the magazine publishing, catalogue, commercial, and public sectors. Clients include IPC Media, Condé Nast, Trader Media, Hearst Magazines, Haymarket Media, Bauer, JD Williams, Opel, Financial Times, and The Economist Group. Wyndeham Group is owned by Walstead Investments, a privately-held turnaround specialist. Walstead embarked on a buy-and-consolidate strategy in November 2008 when it acquired Wyndeham Press Group from Landsbanki, the insolvent Icelandic bank. Subsequent acquisitions included Southernprint (from Newsquest Media) in 2009, Apple Web (from Trader Media Group) in 2010, and St Ives Web Division (from St Ives plc) in 2011.”
