Fife company promotes long-serving manager
John Laughlin, who has been with the company for twelve years, will expand his responsibilities as the business continues to grow. Sephra Europe operates from its European headquarters in Kirkcaldy, with a sister division in Pennsylvania, US.
'My time with Sephra has been an exciting journey,' said Laughlin, reflecting on his tenure with the company. 'The business has grown significantly over the years, and I'm looking forward to broadening my role. It's a real milestone moment after twelve years of hard work, learning, and growing with the business. I've had the privilege of playing a part in some major moments, from our move to new premises in 2019, to building the supply chain that helped launch our retail popcorn business, Sephra Popcorn, which is now the UK's favourite tubbed popcorn.'
The promotion recognises Laughlin's dedication and contribution to the company's success in the competitive professional dessert and bakery market. Sephra Europe specialises in equipment and ingredients for the hospitality and catering industry, serving customers across Europe from Scotland.
John explained that, over the past few years, as the business has grown, his involvement in it, across many different parts, has increased.
'For me, this has meant I've been involved in not just operations, but also aspects like financial oversight, recruitment and HR, marketing, and managing a much larger team. This promotion feels like a formal recognition of how my responsibilities have expanded over time. It's a step up, yes, but also a continuation of the direction in which things have been heading as the company has scaled.'
'A big focus for me right now is working closely with our growing operations team to keep improving how we do things – whether that's tightening up inventory control, driving better supplier performance, or finding smarter ways to automate processes. I've been really fortunate to have great people around me. Nicky Gray, our Operations Assistant, has been doing fantastic work – she's incredibly bright, full of ideas, and already helping to implement new processes that are making a real difference. And since joining us in November, Andy Girvan, our new Procurement & Inventory Manager, has brought a huge amount of experience and is already having a strong impact. Alongside that, we've got some big infrastructure projects underway – expanding the warehouse and office space, and better integrating the packing room – all part of setting the business up for the next phase of growth.'
Managing Director and Company Founder, David Archer, said: 'After 12 years of unwavering commitment and exceptional service, I am very proud and happy to see John promoted from Operations Manager to Operations Director at Sephra Europe Ltd. John's steadfast dedication and tireless input have been central to the company's growth, and I'm excited to see his leadership continue to help shape our future success. Congratulations, John!'
Like this:
Like
Related
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish family-owned business buys Lanarkshire skip-hire assets
NWH Group said the acquisition of the trading assets of Coatbridge-based Henry Waste Management, which it described as 'a well-established and respected skip-hire and waste-collection company', strengthens its position in central Scotland and aligns its 'long-term strategy of growth through both organic expansion and strategic acquisition'. It noted the deal also includes the transfer of 'key personnel', with the longstanding owner of Henry Waste Management, John Crawford, joining Dalkeith-based NWH in a consultancy capacity. A driver from the Henry business is also joining NWH, which employs about 370 people. NWH noted the remainder of the Henry Waste Management business - 'employees, yard etc' - was acquired by a third party. It said that Mr Crawford will work directly with Craig Williams, NWH Group executive director, to 'support the seamless integration of customers and services and ensure continuity across operations'. Mr Williams said: 'We're delighted to welcome John and the Henry Waste Management assets into our business. We've known John and his team for many years and have built a strong working relationship based on trust and shared values. This acquisition not only expands our operational footprint in the region but also enhances our capacity to serve customers efficiently and reliably.' NWH noted that, while the Henry Waste site in Coatbridge had been sold to a third party, it would retain access to a dedicated tipping bay at the location, 'ensuring a smooth continuation of service and improved operational efficiency'. Mr Crawford said: 'After many successful years running Henry Waste, I'm proud to see the business become part of a forward-thinking company like NWH. Its commitment to customer service and innovation reflects the values that helped build our reputation, and I'm looking forward to working with Craig and the wider team to ensure a smooth transition for our customers.' The acquisition took effect officially on August 1, with NWH noting an internal integration team had been appointed to 'oversee the smooth alignment of routing, scheduling, and systems across the newly acquired fleet and equipment'. The company added: 'This latest move underscores NWH Group's commitment to sustainable growth, enhancing service capacity while supporting the circular economy across Scotland.' Read more NWH in April declared it had delivered 'another outstanding year of growth', as it reported a record trading performance for the financial year ending September 30, 2024. It observed that, since 'the Covid-impacted 2020', it had delivered increasing sales and profits. NWH achieved turnover of more than £55 million in the 12 months to September 2024, a 6% increase on the previous year. Operating profit rose by 24% to £4.2m, which NWH said demonstrated the strength of its 'diverse business model and commitment to long-term value creation'. NWH said this 'robust' financial performance had been driven by sustained expansion across its trade waste and construction and demolition divisions, as well as strong contributions from its 'newly enhanced' processing facilities in Newcastle and longstanding sites in Midlothian, Glasgow, Dundee, Angus and Edinburgh. It added: 'Despite some sector-wide headwinds, the group continued to invest in infrastructure, sustainability and operational excellence. Growth in the trade waste division was underpinned by improved customer retention and new multi-year contract wins across key commercial sectors such as retail, leisure and manufacturing.'
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump breaks silence on major Putin summit with three-word review
Donald Trump has finally addressed the possibility of a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, hours after reports of a summit started to circulate Donald Trump has finally spoken out about the buzz surrounding a potential summit with Vladimir Putin, mere hours after speculation about such a meeting began to make headlines. During a press conference at the White House on Wednesday evening, Trump indicated that there is a "very good prospect" for what could be a momentous one-on-one with Putin. While the press conference in the Oval Office was primarily about Apple's multi-billion-dollar investment in the US, the topic shifted when Trump was probed by journalists regarding the rumours of a summit with Putin. He responded: "There is a very good prospect that we will [meet]." This development unfolds as Trump dealt Russia two significant setbacks within hours earlier today, despite suggestions that he might be willing to engage with Putin as early as next week. The White House reaffirmed on Wednesday its commitment to imposing secondary sanctions on Moscow, with this Friday, August 8, marking the deadline set by Trump for Putin to cease hostilities in Ukraine. Washington had already issued a stark warning that it would severely impact the Russian economy if Moscow did not actively seek peace in Ukraine. Today, the White House doubled down on its commitment to implement regulations that will bar third parties from engaging in trade with entities under Russian sanctions—a policy set to take effect in a mere 48 hours, reports the Express. This firm stance was maintained despite President Trump's remarks that his special envoy Steve Witkoff's recent dialogue with Putin "went well". Taking to Truth Social this afternoon, President Trump posted: "My Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Great progress was made! Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this war must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come. Thank you for your attention to this matter!". Earlier in the day, President Trump had branded Russia as an "extraordinary threat" to US national security and foreign policy. He announced this as he enacted an executive order to slap an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports of Russian oil. President Trump clarified his position, stating: "I determine that it is necessary and appropriate to impose an additional ad valorem duty on imports of articles of India, which is directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil." The US administration is aiming to cut off a significant source of revenue for the Kremlin by targeting Russian oil sales, thereby crippling their ability to fund the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Reuters
European shares end flat as healthcare stocks weigh after Trump's tariff threat
Aug 6 (Reuters) - European shares closed flat on Wednesday, surrendering early session gains, as healthcare stocks felt the pinch from U.S. President Donald Trump's latest threat to impose higher tariffs on pharmaceutical imports. The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX), opens new tab index closed 0.06% lower, breaking its two-day winning streak despite starting the session on a positive note. Healthcare stocks bore the brunt of the selling pressure. The sector index (.SXDP), opens new tab plunged 2.8% to its lowest level in more than three months after Trump unveiled a graduated tariff plan targeting pharmaceutical imports that could see levies on the sector jump up to 250% within 18 months. "This is where it's important to be specific about tariffs because certain stocks and sectors will be impacted differently across regions," said Steve Sosnick, chief market analyst at Interactive Brokers. "In Europe and Asia, investors are considering tariff impacts more carefully since exporters bear much of the brunt directly." The sector was also singed as Novo Nordisk ( opens new tab warned it expects continued competition from copycat versions of its Wegovy obesity drug this year, a message that sent shares of the Danish drug maker down 5.4%. Novo cut its full-year sales and profit forecasts last week, wiping $95 billion off its market value since then. Meanwhile, Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss potential trade solutions after Trump announced a 39% tariff on Swiss goods. The talks focused on increasing Swiss purchases of U.S. energy and defence products to avert the steep tariff, which threatens significant damage to Switzerland's export-driven economy. Switzerland's benchmark SMI index (.SSMI), opens new tab fell 0.9%, weighed down by drugmakers Novartis (NOVN.S), opens new tab and Roche (ROG.S), opens new tab which lost 3.3% and 2.6%, respectively. Bayer ( opens new tab shares tumbled 9.9% on investor concerns that the German pharmaceutical firm's earnings were inflated by soccer player transfer fees rather than supported by its core healthcare and agriculture businesses. On the data front, Euro zone retail sales grew quicker than thought in June, reinforcing views that the 27-nation bloc remains resilient to trade uncertainty. Among others, Beiersdorf ( opens new tab fell 8.4% and was among top decliners after the German consumer goods maker cut its annual organic sales growth outlook. On the flip side, Siemens Energy ( opens new tab rose 1% after the company said it expects to hit the upper end of its 2025 growth outlook estimates. Hiscox (HSX.L), opens new tab was the top gainer on the index, gaining 9.4% after reporting a rise in first-half insurance premiums supported by its retail business growth.
