Charles is the Managing Director of this sixth-generation family business, founded in 1860. Charles is an entrepreneurial and engaging leader who has driven the transformation from what was originally a cottage industry through large scale mechanisation up to the present digital age.

During Charles’ formative years his parents ran the business from the family home, and this allowed Charles to learn every facet of trading first hand. Even the accounts and weekly payroll were prepared in-house, often completed on the dining room table!

After leaving school at the age of 16, Charles went to the local college but remained hands on in the business. As the organisation grew so did his involvement, overseeing many elements of progression from the early computerisation of the accounts system to purchasing new premises....

Sadie started her career in audit with KPMG and has since honed her skills in the SME market, working for a mix of owner managed and private equity backed organisations predominantly in the distribution, wholesale and retail sectors.

Sadie brings a wealth of financial, managerial, governance, HR, and cash management skills with her. Developed over 25 years in finance roles, she has a proven ability to conceptualise and translate corporate strategy into workable and understandable financial objectives.

With a strong people focus and an emphasis on team coaching, mentoring and development, Sadie is a collaborative team leader with a facilitative management style and has a reputation for developing diverse teams....

Steve joined us with a background of working in Global blue-chip organisations as well as a Global family-owned business, his experience and learnings have supported the Charles Bentley & Son business on its journey to becoming a market leading supplier of branded products to the country’s most respected retail and trade partners.

Having also spent several years working in the retail environment at a store and regional level with retailers such as Halfords and Morrisons, Steve’s understanding of how to drive increased conversation rates with higher spend levels and enhanced shopper engagement has influenced the consumer centric go-to-market strategy we have implemented over the past 3 years....

With over 24 years in recruitment and HR, Claire has been the HR Manager at Charles Bentley & Son Ltd for 4 years. This role oversees the entire employee lifecycle from recruitment, induction, employee welfare, training, and development as well as employee relations.

After university Claire spent two years working and living abroad, mainly in South-East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. She then moved to London where she worked in recruitment for 2 years. In 2000 she moved to Leicester to study at De Montfort University to complete her CIPD qualifications, whilst working in her first generalist HR role in a food factory in Nottingham. Since qualifying she has worked in a variety of sectors including retail, distribution, local government, and manufacturing....

Joining the family business in 2007, James has worked across a variety of roles and became a director in 2015. James currently oversees the company’s operations, IT, and quality departments.

On joining the business, James relocated the head office in Loughborough, allowing for future expansion and growth. James has since overseen several significant projects including the online distribution centre and the Charles Bentley Express order system.

James has been a key stakeholder in crucial IT projects and reforms during his time in the business. Establishing partnerships with strategic providers to ensure the business systems remain at the forefront of technology....

With over 21 years marketing experience, Kelechi leads Charles Bentley’s strategic global marketing, across the company’s brush and homeware products, as well as a portfolio of retail brands inc. Charnwood, OTTIMO, Bulldozer, Lifestyle, SNUG and Re.Think.

In a previous life, Kelechi was the strategic Marketing Agency lead for global brands such as Coca-Cola, zavvi Entertainment Group, Nestlé, InBev UK, and PepsiCo to name a few.

Overseeing the marketing & brand transformation of BuyDirect4U to Charles Bentley, Kelechi, and his team worked closely with the Board to launch new brushware & NPD brands into prominent, high-street retailers, driving category growth through marketing innovation and solidifying external partnerships....

Naomi has been working in the family business for over 20 years and is responsible for managing the purchasing process. She oversees the procurement of raw materials, components and finished goods needed to manufacture or deliver a product to our customers.

Naomi is involved in developing long-term sourcing strategies that help the company reduce costs and improve quality overtime. This includes identifying new suppliers, establishing relationships with these suppliers, and negotiating terms and conditions. Naomi also plans, develops, and implements the purchasing policies and procedures and as she manages the company’s purchasing budget, her role directly impacts the businesses bottom line....

Andrew joined the business in 2005 and was originally tasked with promoting the business to trade customers as well as exploring ecommerce selling opportunities.

The early 2000’s saw the explosion of the internet and Andrew proudly sold the company’s first product on eBay towards the end of 2005, the company’s first DTC sale. Seeking the opportunity, Andrew set up BuyDirect4U as the online trading name for the business in 2005 and forged a successful eBay business, soon selling on Amazon and other marketplaces, including internationally, before expanding to other direct to consumer websites such as Tesco, Homebase, Wilko & Next....

Natalie has 25 years’ experience in customer services across multiple industries. Since joining the Charles Bentley team, she has been responsible for analysing and understanding current processes within the company, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing changes to make the internal and external processes more efficient.

This can involve everything from streamlining internal communication to implementing new technology and automating key tasks.

She started her career working in the hospitality industry, working for 15 years, rising through the ranks into management. She found her niche as an area training coordinator, developing a passion for training and development; this allowed her to focus on coaching, recruitment, and leadership roles....

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