ACS makes promotions, re-jigs commercial ops

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has promoted a number of members of its commercial team.

Will Nelson has been made Head of Supplier Relations, taking charge of recruitment and retention across all of supplier memberships, supported by Katie Noice as Supplier Relations Manager and Csaba Balla as Supplier Relations Executive, focusing particularly on Club membership. Sarah C Johnson has been promoted to Head of Retail Membership, including her current events brief, supported by Viki Neaves as Events Executive. The new roles and responsibilities become formalised on 1st March.

“We’re absolutely delighted to be giving more responsibility to the excellent commercial team that has developed in recent years,” said CEO James Lowman.  “Will, Sarah, Katie, Csaba and Viki have been instrumental in delivering a fantastic package of benefits to retailers and suppliers, and we are very excited about building on this as we get back to running face-to-face as well as online events in 2021.”

The changes to the team will help ACS build on momentum from a year in which membership engagement has leapt forward, and engagement with ACS activity has been at record levels. The coronavirus pandemic has seen the trade body work at the highest levels of government, advise the sector on policy and statutory requirements, and pivot to running a well-supported and highly-regarded programme of online events, information and learning opportunities.

Current Commercial Director Paul Chamberlain is leaving his post on 31st March 2021. Mr Lowman continued: “Paul has been an enormous part of our success since he joined us in 2006, and it is appropriate that part of his lasting contribution to ACS will be the development of this excellent team that will help shape the future of the organisation and the sector.”