Darren Rhodes is new Managing Director of Procter Bros Group

Jeremy Procter, the previous manager director, has become Chairman of the Procter Bros Group. Jeremy is from the fourth generation of the Procter family and has been in the business for 41 years and was Managing Director from 1992. Jeremy will maintain guardianship of the Procter brand. His new role as Chairman will give him more time to devote to family and interests outside work.

Jeremy Procter comments: "This is a key appointment for Procter Bros. Our strong growth in recent years meant we needed to develop the structure of the business but we took our time to identify the right person.

"Darren helped his previous company grow to become one of the largest in the sector and he was looking for a fresh challenge. He realised that Procter Bros had similar values to his own, shared a passion for excellent customer service and had the drive and ambition to grow. So we were the ideal match for each other and I am confident I am handing the business to a safe pair of hands."

In his new role as Managing Director, Darren Rhodes will focus on accelerating the company growth strategy and meeting the specific needs of clients across the Procter Bros business portfolio, while continuing to deliver the highest standards of service.

The new management structure was created as part of the firm's succession planning and to develop the management team to cope with increased and changing demands for its services.

Darren Rhodes, who is based in Halifax, says: "This is the sort of opportunity I was looking for. Procter Bros has an incredible heritage and plenty of ambition.

"But the key for me was that we share a similar vision for the future and the values in doing business. I am privileged to be joining a company where it is engrained in everyone to put the customers' interests first and where there is such opportunity for further development. I look forward to playing a major role in setting our course for the next 275 years."