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Appointment of Chief Executive Officer Designate

In brief · summary, not quotable

Gerald Kuehr appointed Chief Executive Officer Designate, taking role on 1 July 2026.

  • Gerald Kuehr age 58
  • Years of international leadership experience 30+
  • PPF markets under Gerald's leadership 10
  • PPF employees under Gerald's leadership 3,000
  • Acquisitions completed at PPF 5
Full announcement

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IG Design Group plc, a leading designer, innovator and manufacturer across various celebration and creative categories, is pleased to announce the appointment of Gerald Kuehr as Chief Executive Officer Designate, with effect from 1 May 2026. On 1 July 2026, Gerald will assume the role as Chief Executive Officer and Stewart Gilliland, who has led the Group as Interim Executive Chair, will revert to his role as Non-Executive Chair upon Gerald's appointment.

Gerald has been working with Design Group in an advisory capacity to DG Europe since January 2026, during which time he has gained a deep understanding of the Group's strategic priorities, operations and customers, many of whom he has partnered with before. Additionally, he has helped segments of the Group to refocus its energy on its core business whilst supporting the team in developing plans to secure new business. His transition into the Chief Executive Officer role reflects the Board's confidence in his leadership as the Group continues to strengthen and follows the defined pathway to further improvement in profitability and long-term value creation.

Gerald brings over 30 years of international leadership experience in blue chip consumer businesses. Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Partner in Pet Food (PPF) from 2020 to 2025, where he repositioned the business from an Eastern European, volume-driven private-label player into a pan-European category leader operating across ten markets with 3,000 employees. During his tenure, he also completed five acquisitions.

Prior to this, Gerald held senior global leadership roles at Unilever, most recently as Global Chief Customer Officer, where he was a member of the Global Leadership Team with responsibility for sales strategy, commercial excellence and customer development across 30 markets. He was previously an Associate Partner at Bain & Company and spent 14 years at Procter & Gamble, including as General Manager for Germany and Austria.

Gerald Christoph Kuehr, aged 58, has held the following directorships/partnerships in the past five years:

Current Directorships/PartnershipsFormer Directorships/Partnerships (past five years)
-Woof Investments SARL Artemis Acquisitions Topco Limited Partner in Pet Food Sweden AB Doggy AB Partner in Pet Food France SAS PPF HoldCo B.V. Partner in Pet Food Group B.V. Partner in Pet Food NL B.V. Partner in Pet Food Poland Partner in Pet Food Hungaria Kft Kollmax Kft

Mr Kuehr is not currently a director of any companies.

Save as set out above, there is no further information to be disclosed in relation to Mr Kuehr's appointment pursuant to AIM Rule 17 or paragraph (g) of Schedule Two of the AIM Rules for Companies.

Stewart Gilliland, Chair of IG Design Group plc, commented:

"Having worked with Gerald over the past months, I have seen first-hand the calibre of his leadership and am therefore delighted that he is joining the Group as its Chief Executive Officer. The thorough search process, conducted with external advisors, identified a number of strong candidates, but Gerald's energy and passion set him apart. This, alongside his exceptionally strong retail relationships across Europe, his proven track record of commercial improvement and delivering international growth, particularly within complex multi-market environments, makes him exceptionally well placed to lead the Group through its next phase. On behalf of the Board, I warmly welcome him into the role and look forward to supporting him in the period ahead."

Gerald Kuehr, incoming Chief Executive Officer, added:

"It is a privilege to be stepping into the Chief Executive Officer role at IG Design Group. My time working with DG Europe has given me an appreciation for the strength of the Group's portfolio, the talent of its people and the opportunity ahead. I look forward to working with the Board and to partnering with our customers, with whom we have excellent relationships with, as we unlock the Group's full potential."

Cleaned text: letterheads, contacts and legal notices removed. View the original announcement ↗ · Company filings. Not investment advice.

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