Peter Maunder is retiring from the position of joint managing director and will take up the role of chairman, leaving Adrian Huett as sole managing director of the 43m turnover group.

Maunder has worked at the company for almost 40 years, and joined as a trainee account executive in 1965. Adrian and I have been joint managing directors for 15 years now, and its time that things moved on, he explained. Im 55 now and could stay on until I was 60-plus, but its better to move things on ahead of that. We have lots of able and bright young people here, and fundamentally this is about trying to achieve continuity of management through change.

The firm informed clients of the changes this week.

Butler & Tanner has also appointed Kevin Sarney to the position of group operations director with responsibility for the production and administration functions at B&Ts flagship site in Frome and at Lawrence Allen in Weston-super-Mare.

Sarney had been customer services director at Lawrence Allen for three years. Maunder said that he had created quite an impression.

Hes a very bright guy and the right man to, ultimately, be my successor.

The group has also announced the retirement of group commercial director Nigel Carter, who leaves after 36 years with the company.

Story by Lauretta Roberts