Bill Stillman, marketing director of Karran Group, has left the company by mutual consent after just nine months.


His ideas for developing Karran were at odds with those of group chief executive Arun Sharma, who said that Stillman wanted to move too quickly on certain issues.
Some things he was right on, other things were too fast, he said.


Stillman would not comment, other than to say that his departure was amicable. His severance terms preclude him from re-entering the printing industry before November.
Attempts to find his replacement are underway, according to Sharma.


Stillman had been group marketing director since Karran took over Swan Packaging, the Corby company of which he was also managing director, last August.
Stillmans wife, Sarah, who was Swans sales director, has left too. Her replacement at Swan, which has been renamed Swan Innovations, is Ann Davies. Currently sales manager of Hobs 4DM, she starts on 17 June.


Sharma insisted that Karran had not ruled out working with Stillman in the future. Bill has a lot to offer and we hope to be working with him in the near future. He felt he had some ideas of his own he wants to pursue.


Karran has been a regular on the acquisition trail over the last couple of years, buying a variety of companies in addition to Swan.
The group now consists of Seven Corners Press, Karran Products, FMT Products and Plan-a-Year.


Story by Adam Hill