Grono has appointed Luke Greensmith as the company’s new Commercial Director while Max Ashcroft will take on the role of Marketing Manager.

Greensmith joins Grono with a good knowledge of the business, having followed the company for almost 10 years. This dates back to when Lionel Gilmartin (Grono’s CEO) launched artificial grass, and Greensmith was selling this “new concept” into London-based landscaping contractors for builders’ merchants, Jewson.

“It’s that passion in bringing new solutions to the market that attracted me to the company,” Greensmith said. “During my different roles over the years, there has been something that has always remained a constant; a customer centric strategy.

“This continued focus will support everything that we do and will be key in allowing us to stay close to and influence market trends in the years to come. We want to provide our customers with the best overall service offer.

“The last 10+ years that I have been working within builders’ merchants has obviously provided me with a fantastic in-depth understanding of the challenges our customers are regularly faced with, but also the areas of opportunity where we can develop further.

“For me, there will be some very clear priorities for our business. Firstly, we want to keep developing our customer service offer and with the support of Max in the Marketing Manager position, we want to develop our brand and sub-brands to make Grono the brand of choice for installers and home owners.”

Greensmith, who spent three-and-half-years in France working for Saint-Gobain, will be reporting into Managing Director James Benjamin, while working alongside new Marketing Manager Max Ashcroft, who joins Grono with a wide range of experience under his belt.

Ashcroft’s passion for Rugby Union led him to create the website Talking Rugby Union during his time at the University of Bath.

“I am really excited to join a really fascinating industry,” Max said. “Grono are built around innovation and they never want to stand still. They are always looking to expand their product range and it is a great company to be a part of.

“I think they are going places and the team they are putting together shows that. I think we all think there is a good opportunity to continue showcasing our products and to continue making an impact in the industry.

“I have been involved with website development to working on  campaigns and I worked with digital agency, Northstar, for the last two years. They specialise in construction and building materials and I enjoyed branching out into that industry.

“I think the work I have done with both TRU and Northstar is pivotal in me helping Grono because of the agency and marketing experience I have been able to gain.

“The fresh aim for me now is to sell as much decking board, artificial grass and cladding products as possible! I want to achieve this through marketing campaigns and our branch perception in the industry. Hopefully, I can assist Grono with the progress they are making.”