Managing Director Appointment, Smiths News, Recycle
The Client
Smiths News is the UK’s leading newspaper and magazine wholesaler, a 225-year-old business listed on the London Stock Exchange, operating with 34 warehouses and a network of 2,400 colleagues and subcontractor partners.
While its core market faces structural decline, Smiths News has set a bold five-year transformation strategy aimed at building new profit streams within the early-morning supply chain. One of the company’s most promising verticals is Recycling. Leveraging decades of experience in reverse logistics and returns processing, Smiths News already collects 28,000 recycling bags a week, amounting to 2,160 tonnes of cardboard and more than 220 tonnes of plastics annually, across a network of 900+ routes.
The ambition is clear: create a profitable £10m recycling division and expand the service far beyond the current 5,000-customer base.
The Requirement
To accelerate growth in this strategically critical vertical, the Executive Team sought an MD of Recycling with proven expertise in the waste and recycling sector. This was a high-visibility role requiring regular updates to the PLC Board and full P&L accountability.
The ideal candidate needed experience in navigating regulatory frameworks, scaling operations at pace, and shaping commercially robust strategies. They would be expected to validate and refine the existing recycling strategy, build long-term growth plans, and identify partnership or acquisition opportunities that could deliver rapid, non-linear expansion.
Equally important were leadership qualities: high emotional intelligence, the ability to influence across multiple internal and external stakeholders, and the capability to unify sales, proposition development and operational teams around a compelling growth trajectory.
The Solution
Novo worked closely with the Chief Executive and wider Executive Team to understand the vertical’s commercial potential and operational complexities. We designed a targeted search focused on senior leaders with recycling or waste-management credentials, strong commercial instincts, and a track record of scaling business units sustainably.
Our targeted approach included:
• Mapping executive-level talent across recycling, waste, and environmental services
• Identifying candidates experienced in P&L ownership, go-to-market strategy, and partnership development
• Assessing strategic thinking, regulatory understanding and ability to influence at Board level
• Evaluating leadership behaviours aligned with Smiths News’ values and transformation ambitions
The Outcome
Smiths News appointed a Managing Director who brought deep sector expertise and a forward-thinking, commercially driven mindset. They quickly began reshaping the vertical’s strategic roadmap, revising market propositions, strengthening customer acquisition strategies, and examining partnership and acquisition opportunities capable of accelerating growth.
Early impact has included stronger alignment across internal teams, clearer financial and service metrics, and a renewed focus on customer experience and retention. The appointment has given Smiths News the leadership foundation required to scale its recycling vertical and build a robust profit stream projected to deliver £10m within three to five years.
