Victorian Plumbing announces change of leadership as founder CEO prepares to step down
Victorian Plumbing has announced that its founder Mark Radcliffe will relinquish his role of chief executive but will remain on the board as a non-executive founder director.
He will be succeeded on 1 April by Stephnie Judge (pictured) who is currently group managing director.
Subscribe to TRBJudge joined the bathroom retailer in 2013 and was appointed to her current role in 2020 following a series of promotions.
In a statement ahead of today’s AGM, the company credited her with driving growth and key strategic initiatives, including a warehouse transformation, the acquisitions of Victoria Plum and Sovereign Transport Services, technology and customer proposition improvements, and the relaunch of the MFI brand into homewares.
Meanwhile, Radcliffe will remain actively engaged with the company and its strategic direction while continuing to work closely with Judge and the wider team. He also remains a substantial shareholder in Victorian Plumbing.
Philip Bowcock, chair of Victorian Plumbing Group, said: “I am delighted that Stephnie has agreed to step up as chief executive of Victorian Plumbing.
“Her diligent approach to the delivery of the group’s strategic initiatives stands us in very good stead as we look to the next phase of growth.
“I have worked closely with Stephnie since becoming chair and I share Mark’s confidence in her excellent leadership credentials. I have no doubt that she is the right person to lead Victorian Plumbing through the next chapter and beyond.”
Radcliffe added: “Victorian Plumbing has been on an amazing journey in the 25 years since I founded it and I feel that now is the right time to hand over the reins.
“Stephnie is the right person to guide Victorian Plumbing through the next phase of growth and take advantage of the significant opportunities that lie ahead.”
Victorian Plumbing also reported a 9% rise in revenue for the first 21 weeks of its current financial year, driven by order volume growth, and said it remains confident of delivering full year revenue and adjusted pre-tax profit in line with market expectations.
In addition, the company confirmed that it had acquired Merseyside company Sovereign Transport Services on 31 January.
