NZ’s Largest PPE Supplier To Recruit New CEO

A 70-year-old Kiwi company which has played a key role in supplying essential Government service providers with PPE during the pandemic is recruiting for a new CEO.

NXP is New Zealand’s largest distributor of business supplies to corporate and Government agencies - including Ministry of Health, NZ Police and Department of Defence.

Joe Taylor, NXP’s incumbent CEO, will transition from his current role at the end of the year, and will take up a governance position on the company’s board.

His departure follows a transformative tenure which saw the company reach record revenues in the last fiscal year.

Taylor first joined NXP in 2018, after the company was sold by Platinum Equity LLC, a private US equity firm, following a Commerce Commission ruling designed to maintain competition in the B2B supplies market.

The company was then purchased by New Zealand investors led by majority shareholder, Tom Sturgess and is now part of the Tiri Group - a diverse set of engineering and distribution businesses.

Following a period of rapid growth which saw staff numbers grow from 80 to 200, NXP now ships over two million packages per year to 50,000 organisations around New Zealand. Around two thirds of the company’s revenue is generated from kitchen and facilities management supplies.

In the past 18 months, NXP has also acquired three other local firms under Taylor, including the country’s largest mid-market cleaning and janitorial supplies firm, The Service Company

Taylor says, like most other businesses, while there was an elevated level of apprehension as the country went into the first lockdown, they were able to leverage their global channels to secure shipments of PPE at a critical time for health care, aged care and government.

He says the pandemic has seen a period of rapid change in supply chains around the world and he is immensely proud of the support provided by his team to navigate this.

“At a time where B2B companies were facing significant challenges, the team at NXP have worked incredibly hard to meet the needs of customers - even when it meant following me into the unknown sometimes, for this I am extremely appreciative,” he says.

Taylor says the company will focus on growing its New Zealand made and sustainable product ranges which now makes up 35% of revenue through its B2B e-commerce channel.

“The next phase of NXP’s development will see us continue to focus on growing demand in the corporate sector for environmentally friendly and locally made products,” he says.

A search for Taylor’s replacement is underway with the NXP board to announce a successor in due course.

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