Vivalda Group, the national cladding specialist, has signalled its confidence in the UK facades market with a trio of new senior roles. While Wes Hague joins the business as group commercial director, Adam Sumner returns to Vivalda as specification manager. Further supporting the group’s nationwide sales capability, former Manchester branch manager Jamie O’Brien is promoted to key account manager for the North.
Fulfilling new role of group commercial director, Wes will focus primarily on new product development within the business, which has recently launched MetSkin, its own fully tested, solid aluminium façade system. Adam Sumner’s role adds to Vivalda’s nationwide sales capabilities, providing technical product advice to specifiers and architects.
Building on the success of the model pioneered in the south, Jamie O’Brien is appointed key account manager covering cities such as Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds. He will work in close collaboration with Michael Brookman, Vivalda’s key account director for the South.
Wes Hague began his career with Asda and Sainsbury’s before spending eight years with a major retail business in Australia. More recently, he was a director at Staircraft, the world’s largest timber staircase manufacturer before being appointed as head of business efficiency at Harlow Timber Group. Adam Sumner was previously an areas sales manager at Vivalda, who returns to the business after two and a half years with Kingspan Facades.
As group commercial director, Wes also has responsibility for the supplier base across the group, which includes Vivalda, BBS Facades, Pura Facades, MSP Façade Solutions and Prism Powder Coating. He said: “I’ve built my career by forging long-term partnerships with suppliers while also encouraging internal collaboration, which helps us to focus on the needs of our customers. Vivalda is already a great business with a hugely positive culture, and I am convinced I can bring some of the lessons I’ve learnt from other sectors to build on these solid foundations.”
Adam Sumner has been brought onboard to help architects and specifiers gain a better understanding of the various cladding materials that are on the market. He said: “Whether it’s solid metal, terracotta or GRC cladding, the choices facing specifiers can be bewildering given the sheer variety of facades currently available. My job is to help specifiers make informed choices when considering various rainscreen cladding materials.”
Vivalda Group is the UK’s largest distributor / manufacturer of non-flammable rainscreen cladding. Operating from 11 branches across the UK and Ireland, the business supplies contractors with a wide range of fully tested, high performance cladding brands including Equitone, Cedral, Rockpanel, Reider, Trespa, Tonality and Viroc. Its product range also includes MetSkin, a recently launched solid aluminium façade system which is manufactured by MSP Façade Solutions in Scotland. Vivalda Group also comprises Prism Powder Coating, a Qualicoat approved and chrome-free PPC application specialist.
Wes Hague Adam Sumner
Pictured: Left: Adam Sumner, Specification Manager Right: Wes Hague, Group Commercial Director