Neighbourly®, part of the world’s largest franchisor of home service brands, has bolstered its management team in the UK by making new appointments to further position the company for growth and provide enhanced support to its network of 250+ franchisees.
Neighbourly’s expanded team includes Simon Matthews as Finance Director, Chris Mitchell as Director of IT, Iain Stockdale-Smith and Matthew Sleath as Director of Operations.
Simon Matthews recently joined the organisation to assist with the strategic planning and direction of Neighbourly. Qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 1994, Simon has over 25 years’ experience in a range of senior finance roles within the Facilities Management, B2B Services and Technology Sectors. He brings a good balance of technical skills and commercial focus gained in PLC, private equity backed and privately-owned businesses.
Chris Mitchell, a specialist of over 30 years in information communications technology (ICT), is now responsible for delivering innovative and strategic ICT solutions for Neighbourly across Europe. Past experience has included 12 years in the New Zealand army and working for a number of global organisations in the telecommunications sector where he managed multiple teams and departments and delivered a range of strategic and tactical projects. Chris has also led complex digital change programmes, leading other technologists and collaborating with related stakeholders, up to and including Board level.
Neighbourly has also taken on two new Director of Operations who will work across the brands to drive growth for the network and identify new sales avenues for the franchisees. Iain Stockdale-Smith will look after Countrywide Grounds Maintenance® and Matthew Sleath will be responsible for Drain Doctor®, Aire Serv® and Mr. Electric®.
Iain brings a wealth of franchising and grounds maintenance experience, having formerly worked for a national company with over 220 franchisees for nine years. This role included running a team of franchise consultants and franchise sales executives looking after a network of franchises, resulting in significant revenue increases. Prior to this, Iain worked in sales and marketing and was responsible for identifying the marketing effectiveness of advertising campaigns for media publishers and broadcasters.
Matthew has over 15 years of franchising experience, predominantly in the hospitality sector working in various operational roles as well as developing teams of people and identifying business strategies. He most recently acted as Franchise Business Manager for an Australian food and beverage franchisor where he delivered growth in turnover and profitability across two brands. Matthew has a proven track record as an innovative strategic thinker and a strong brand development skillset.
Jeff Meyers, Vice-President of International Operations for Neighbourly, said: “Neighbourly continues to have strong performance in the UK and part of this is having the right leaders in place to ensure we can continue to execute on our plan for transformation and growth. We are delighted to welcome Simon, Chris, Iain and Matthew to our Neighbourly family and I am certain that each of their experiences will be an asset to the organisation throughout their journeys. These new appointments are well timed as we are in a period of transformation, focused on supporting our franchisees to be the best they can be.”
