Jean Michel Sintome joined the Burntwood, Staffordshire-based company in the newly created role last Tuesday (20 August).

The business said the “planned and essential role” enhances the current management team and “dovetails with our relentless investment drive toward world-class manufacturing”.

Prior to joining Mercian, Sintome was chief operating officer at Quinn McGrath, a business dedicated to precision engineering and manufacturing for sectors including FMCG, food and drink and automotive.

He has also worked in a variety of roles including operations director, manufacturing director and quality director for blue-chip corporations including Pernod Ricard and IDEMIA, as well as international companies in the nuclear, oil and gas, engineering, defence and technology sectors.

“We have spent months and years looking for the right person, and were determined not to compromise in our search for the very best fit both in terms of culture and experience, which makes Jean Michel’s addition to the board all the more exciting,” said Mercian sales and marketing director Hugo Gell.

“This is the second major board appointment in 12 months, following Martin Dallas’ arrival as non-executive chairman in November 2018.”

He added: “Jean Michel brings a wealth of operational leadership expertise, as well as experience in building high performance teams, delivering business transformation and introducing dynamic culture change programmes.

“He also has, from his time at IDEMIA, a wealth of experience in technological printing. He is currently developing a robust strategy for the role, that will ensure that our accelerating growth can continue well into the future.”

From its 2,230sqm facility, which was opened in 2014 and as of last year is Mercian’s sole base of operations, the company employs 50 members of staff on a £5m turnover. The self-adhesive label manufacturer is this year celebrating 50 years of trading.