Hornby appoints Richard Ames as chief executive
Toy and model specialist Hornby has appointed former Ladbrokes and Dixons director Richard Ames as its new chief executive.
Ames was most recently a board director at Ladbrokes where he worked as managing director of the product division. Having joined Ladbrokes in 2005, he also a spent a period of time running the UK and Ireland retail operations where he was responsible for managing a successful retail turnaround strategy.
Before Ladbrokes, Ames worked at Dixons Stores Group as marketing director for essentials and prior to that was the purchasing director for the group’s domestic appliances operations. Previous roles include stints at Asda Wal-Mart and Philips Consumer Electronics.
His appointment follows the departure of former chief executive Frank Martin in January after Hornby announced last March that Martin would be retiring from the business in 2014.
Ames will join Hornby in April when chairman Roger Canham will resume his non-executive role.
Commenting on the appointment, Canham said: “I am delighted that Richard is joining Hornby. He has a wealth of experience of leading consumer facing businesses. I was impressed with his track record of implementing successful marketing strategies and managing complex supply chains. Finally, I am pleased that he has a genuine passion and enthusiasm for the Hornby business and I am confident that Hornby is in good hands as we move forward.”
Ames added: “This is a fantastic opportunity to lead one of the UK’s best loved companies. Hornby has built a superb collection of brands, that have tremendous potential both in the UK and overseas markets.”
