New boss at Holmes & Marchant

Packaging and sales promotion consultancy Holmes & Marchant (Central) has denied industry reports of a number of redundancies within the company but confirms the loss of one of its major clients, US shipping line Cast.

Ciaran O’Connell, chief executive of the group, who is leaving in the new year, will be replaced by Richard Bootton, whose appointment became effective from the beginning of this month. Bootton, who has been with the Holmes & Marchant Group since l989, was previously the consultancy’s commercial director.

“Ciaran made the decision to leave and do something else a while ago and we’re currently working together through a hand-over period. We’ve agreed that there will be an element of flexibility,” explains Bootton.

Bootton describes the current trading situation as “a mixture of comings and goings which, on balance, even each other out”, but could not confirm any other details.