Thorn Group, the parent company of Radio Rentals and Rentlo, have appointed James Marshall as the new managing director of the company.
Marshall will take over from John Hughes who will retire at the end of June and enter a 12 month consulting agreement, with the intention that he will re-join the board as a non-executive director in 2015, according to a statement from the company released today.
After an ‘extensive search’ by the company which included options from abroad, Thorn settled on an internal hire. Marshall was most recently chief operating officer, and prior to that he was general manager of Radio Rentals and Rentlo.
Thorn Chairman David Carter said the decision, “came down to three very competent people, including outstanding internal candidates.”
“This clearly shows the quality of our succession planning, which is something we have been developing over several years,” Carter said
“James brings excellent operational skills and experience to the position as well as an ability to work effectively with all stakeholders of the business. We are proud that after 20 years with the group he has emerged through the ranks and strongly embodies our culture.”
Carter said the company would continue its strategy to become a broader based financial services company.
The Thorn Group is also comprised of Thorn Equipment Finance, Thorn Financial Services, which includes Cashfirst and Thorn Money, and NCML, a full service receivables company.
The board thanked Hughes for his “invaluable contribution” to the group.
