Nottingham-based, national commercial interiors specialist, Paragon Interiors Group Plc (Paragon), has welcomed a new CEO, Gary Perry, as it pursues the next step in its growth strategy.
Last month, Paragon announced the opening of a new Birmingham office in line with its strategy of creating exceptional client relationships through local presence. Now, Paragon Interiors founder and Chairman Alan Hardy has appointed Mr Perry, who has been at the heart of the significant growth of CBRE’s Global Workplace Solutions business, to help drive the business forward.
Gary has previously worked globally for Shell and Satchwell, developing their global energy business, whilst gaining an MBA in Services Management. At Norland Managed Services, Gary was an integral part of the leadership team that grew that business from £40m to £400m prior to selling it to CBRE in 2013.
Paragon Interiors is in a major phase of growth of its own, with a 14% rise in new employees in November 2016 alone, driven by Paragon’s consistent growth in its core office fit-out market but also a significant growth in its retail and educational divisions.
That growth is forecast to continue at a rate of 25% a year, with Paragon on track for £70m turnover in 2017 and to meet their “2020 vision” of £100m turnover by 2020.
Paragon Interiors chairman, Alan Hardy, explains the factors behind the firm’s growth and Gary’s appointment:
“We are on track for major and consistent growth but we cannot be complacent about this. I want to ensure that we reach our full potential and by bringing in Gary, we can do just that. He is driven by customer focus and service and has huge experience in harnessing the potential of growing businesses and their people.
“My firm belief is that a business that has a strong culture, vision & value set, all fully aligned, is a business that produces strong growth, employment opportunities and rewarding financial benefits. Gary shares that philosophy and I cannot wait to start working with him in 2017.”
Paragon’s focus of delivering client value has been recognised recently in an independent report into the UK Fit-out sector by respected analysts Plimsoll, with Paragon named as joint 1st UK Trading Partner.
Delivering exceptional projects through exceptional people.
Gary is very clear on his vision; “We are on a mission to be regarded as the pre-eminent workplace solutions company in the UK, delivering exceptional projects through exceptional people. To do that we are creating a culture where everyone feels empowered to take ownership and make decisions around the issues they face. When I came up to Nottingham to meet the team it was clear that we have an inspired group of committed people that are highly focussed on delivering the right solutions for our customers.
“What Alan and the team have done here is fantastic, rising from a local fit-out firm to a national design and build practice with an international client list. We have an industry leading design team and a commitment to adding value to our clients’ property portfolios and businesses throughout the whole of their facilities life cycle. I am excited to be taking on this challenge to lead Paragon as we take the next step in our growth story.
“Even as we build our Birmingham presence, we have just put the finishing touches to our extension at our Nottingham HQ. The primary purpose of the extension is to act as a hub for our customers. That focus and a drive to be ‘best in class’ will continue to drive everything we do as we ramp up our activities across all of our sectors”.
