John Smith & Son Group Limited announced today that David Marshall has been promoted to the Group’s Executive Board of Directors as Group Commercial Director.

The John Smith & Son Group has transformed its business over recent years as its markets have changed and evolved. David has been at the forefront of much of this change initially as a Regional Sales & Operations Manager and for the last three years as Director of Commercial and Strategic Development. David has played a major role in developing the e-commerce channels, building and improving supplier relationships, extending the range of products offered and being the champion of The Group’s eBook strategy.

The majority of The Group’s business is now delivered directly to customers whether that is from our Aspire Direct contracts, our Hammicks business or to the increasing number of customers who now transact via our websites. In addition to this our offering to customers has been transformed and we now provide a greatly enhanced range of goods and services especially in the UK HE market. The role of Group Commercial Director is pivotal in continuing and building on these recent developments.

Commenting on his appointment David said

I am pleased and proud to be offered this new challenge with the JS Group. It is an exciting time and I look forward to continuing my work with the teams and divisions of this progressive and energetic business, focussing on the commercial efficiency of our strategies and translating that into delivering even better outcomes.

Peter Gray, CEO and Chairman of the JS Group said

David’s wealth of experience and industry knowledge along with his intrinsic understanding of the John Smith & Son Group‘s operations in both the UK and Africa make him a key addition to the Group Board. In this new role he will continue to be responsible for our product and pricing plans, working with our partners and publishers and for the development of our e-commerce offering. Going forward, he will be responsible for our distribution and fulfilment operation and for the performance strategy of our Aspire models across the Group. David lives our values and his appointment is further evidence of our commitment to being the leading service provider in our market. I have no doubt that David will drive forward our ethos of innovation and exceptional service