An external director has been appointed to the board of Beaumont Tiles as the pace of the company’s expansion picks up in 2016.

Experienced manufacturing sector executive Chris Stathy OAM will bring his national and global market expertise to the tile retail business.

Stathy will be the only director who is not a family member or former Beaumont Tiles executive on the current board of the South Australian-headquartered company.

Stathy, a management consultant and founder of Hazlewood Industry Solutions, was formerly CEO of Fielders Australia Pty Ltd, where he transformed the operations and financial performance of the steel products manufacturer, and managing director of Philmac Pty Ltd, leading the pipe system manufacturer’s growth into a significant SA exporter.

Bob Beaumont said “We have appointed Chris Stathy to challenge us and bring to the table his wealth of experience in the building industry.

“We needed to bring a broader perspective to the business and someone to challenge us more intensely and incisively. Chris is an excellent strategist and he will help us by building our strategy more effectively. We have some huge initiatives scheduled for early 2016 where we will capitalise on Chris’ expertise.”

Stathy said “What excites me about Beaumont Tiles is that Bob Beaumont is a visionary with aspirations to develop the business well beyond where it is at the moment.

“They are in a very good market position but they have a significant opportunity to continue to grow in the Australian marketplace. I hope to bring my experience in making businesses more efficient as they grow.

“It’s also a business that has to deal with the cyclical nature of the building market and I’ve been involved in businesses like that before.”