Thomas was appointed Australian general manager in December 2010 after paper veteran Brian Longmore moved into retirement.

Paperlinx group strategic sourcing manager Rohan Dean told ProPrint: “The customers that worked with Gordon know he was good.”

However, with the merchant continuing to suffer in the depressed local market, Paperlinx hopes Preece’s experience at managing a distressed business will turn things around as the Australian market undergoes a “significant step change”.

Preece was most recently Spicers’ New Zealand general manager, parting ways with the Paperlinx-owned merchant in December 2010.

Dean said: “In New Zealand, the industry experienced a similar step change a few years back; and at a time when Andy was at the helm of Spicers Paper New Zealand.

“During this time, Andy maintained a healthy business performance for Spicers and instigated several important and timely strategic initiatives.

“Therefore, a decision was made to appoint Andy as group general manager for Australia and lead the business through these current challenging times,” added Dean.

The swap is the latest in a string of top-level changes at the paper giant, which posted a $108m loss in its most recent full-year results, following a $225m loss the previous year.

Larry Jackson, executive general manager of Paperlinx ANZA, was the most recent casualty, having parted ways with the paper merchant in July.

In September 2010, Paperlinx “terminated” chief executive and managing director Tom Park.

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