Former Starleaton Product Manager John Buitenkamp has moved up the ranks within the company, taking on a new role as Group Sales and Marketing Director.

Starleaton CEO Ben Eaton said the promotion of Buitenkamp comes as the business puts in place its strategy for the coming year.

“We had an opening for a national sales manager role for the past 18 months following on from the business revamp and related changes that happened due to several acquisitions. Then with the arrival of COVID-19, we had to hold off on plans to fill the role,” he said.

“As we approach 2021, it is key we got back to delivering on the strategies we had put in place last year, for which this was a key role. John’s demonstrated great leadership through the challenges of 2020. I have also worked with him for over 20 years in various capacities and I felt that he was a natural fit.”

His responsibilities as the newly appointed group sales and marketing director including expanding the customer experience at Starleaton and working with Eaton and the rest of the team on delivery of several strategic projects.

The business’ marketing team and state sales managers across A/NZ will report to Buitenkamp.

Eaton said Buitenkamp brings to the table a wealth of experience both locally and from his years in Europe and will be leading some “exciting new initiatives” within the business.

Prior to his 4.5-year tenure at Starleaton as Product Manager, Buitenkamp served at the renowned international company for modern self-adhesive media and coating solutions, Neschen Coating, for almost 18 years, in a variety of roles. He was most recently Neschen’s international Sales Manager for almost five years.

Buitenkamp also worked at Seal Graphics Europe for more than four years.

“John worked for Neschen and a couple of other brands that we represent and brings to the table a wealth of international experience, in addition to fantastic relationships and connections within the industry,” Eaton said.

“Part of our 2020/21 strategy is talent acquisition – which was the case of our key appointment of Dale Hawkins, for example. We want people who can bring their skills and learnings into the Starleaton fold.”

Buitenkamp said having supported a variety of local and international customers in his tenure, he will now be able to pass on the learnings from his previous successes.

“I have strong relationships with our (and other) suppliers in the industry and I have plenty of contacts across Europe. Europe generally leads the way with many current trends (for example textile development) and as the trends emerge in Australia, I want to help Starleaton expand into new areas,” he said.

Going forward, Buitenkamp said he aims to help Starleaton streamline its product portfolio, build on its sales capabilities, and provide the industry with much-needed support and service.

“We recently announced our partnership with 3M. I intend to focus on the strong brands that we have and ensure the benefits of these solutions are realised in the broader market. 2020 was an incredibly challenging year for print due to COVID-19, therefore I intend to help rebuild confidence in the market going into 2021,” he said.

“Focusing on service and the customer experience is a huge part of the Starleaton business as well. I look forward to getting in front of customers again and talking to them about their pain points and how we can guide them in achieving success.”

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