Lowe poised to succeed Mackay

Former Homebase head of design Colum Lowe is in line to succeed Plan Créatif/ Crabtree Hall managing director David Mackay, following his appointment this week as director.

Lowe says his responsibilities will be ‘predominantly new business and the day-to-day running of the [London] office’ and existing projects he will work on include Kwik Save, Hennes & Mauritz and Swedish food retailer ICA.

But when, after ten years of joint co-operation, the London retail consultancy Crabtree Hall and Paris-based product design and branding group Plan Créatif confirmed their merger in April, Mackay said he was seeking to appoint an eventual successor, although no timescale had been set.

‘I’m looking to hand over the reins, but nothing’s imminent. It needs to be a seamless transition and the right person needs to succeed at the right moment,’ Mackay told Design Week.

Lowe refuses to comment on the succession issue, but he says his appointment follows a ‘period of flux’ since Crabtree Hall entertained merger talks with Lumsden Design Partnership early last year.

He adds, ‘This is a wonderful opportunity for [Plan Créatif and Crabtree Hall] to benefit fully from each other’s skill base, which ultimately will benefit all our clients.’