Orion Media appoints Percy as chairman
The radio group formed last year has appointed one of the region's most respected businessmen as chairman to help steer development.
Percy joins the company having recently sold the private equity backed Solihull-based Simple Health and Beauty business, where he was Chief Executive for ten years – he remains in post under new ownership. He has also recently completed a two year term as Chairman of the CBI in the West Midlands.
He spent the early part of his career at Smith & Nephew - primarily as Marketing and Sales Director - before being appointed Managing Director of consumer products in 1999, where he held overall responsibility for the company’s global business. In 2000 he led the management buy-out team from Smith & Nephew which created Accantia, famous for its household brands including Simple Toiletries.
In 2004 he completed a secondary management buy-out and secured the backing of private equity house Duke Street. In 2006 he oversaw the disposal of the group’s feminine hygiene business to Electra Partners which enabled Accantia to refocus as a sales and marketing operation on its core brand, culminating in the rebranding of the business to Simple Health & Beauty Group Limited in 2009.
On welcoming Percy to Orion Media, chief executive Phil Riley commented: “On behalf of everyone at Orion Media, I would like to officially welcome Geoff to the business. His brand-building skills, ably demonstrated in the growth of Simple, will be invaluable to us as we seek to grow the audiences to our stations, and his deep knowledge of the West Midlands business sector will also be a terrific asset for us.”
Speaking of his appointment, Percy said: “Orion Media is a business which offers very exciting opportunities for future growth, and I am very much looking forward to working with the highly experienced management team at Orion, with their unrivaled sector knowledge, in achieving our ambition of becoming the best radio group in the UK.”