Ultimate Products, owner of a number of leading homeware brands including Salter and Beldray, has announced the appointment of Simon Harrison as Chief Executive Officer.
Simon is currently CEO of Princes Group the international food and drink company and will join Ultimate Products as CEO designate on 5 September before assuming the full role on 26 October.
He has over 25 years’ FMCG commercial and leadership experience across brand and trade marketing plus sales and operations. He joined Princes Group as Chief Commercial Officer in July 2021, before quickly progressing to the role of Deputy Managing Director and subsequently Chief Executive Officer during which time the business went through a change of ownership and more recently was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Prior to Princes Group, Simon spent nearly two decades at Coca Cola European Partners, the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler, where he held a range of senior roles including Vice President Commercial Development and Marketing Director.
Simon is replacing Andrew Gossage, who will step down as CEO with effect from 26 October 2026, following more than 20 years in executive roles with the Group. After a short sabbatical, Andrew will continue as a Non-Executive Director from 1 May 2027. As part of these changes, Simon Showman, who founded the business in 1997 and served as CEO until 2024, will move to a Non-Executive Director role with effect from 1 June 2026, while continuing as President and Founder.
Christine Adshead, Chair of Ultimate Products, said: “We are delighted to welcome someone of Simon Harrison’s calibre to Ultimate Products. He brings outstanding leadership qualities, strong operating discipline and considerable commercial experience, and we are confident that he has the right credentials to take Ultimate Products forward into its next chapter. We look forward to welcoming him to the team.
Simon Harrison, himself, said: “Ultimate Products is a business with significant potential, based on a portfolio that includes some of the best-known brands in UK homeware, and supported by long-standing customer relationships and a scalable commercial model. I am delighted to be taking on the CEO role from Andrew Gossage, who alongside Simon Showman, has built and developed the business into the strong platform it is today. This represents an exciting personal opportunity for me, and I look forward to working with the Board and the wider team to lead the business into what I am confident will be a bright future.”
Simon Showman, President and Founder, said: “I am hugely excited about the next phase for Ultimate Products. The business has a strong executive team in place, with the ability to continue delivering the wide range of beautiful, more sustainable products we are known for. I am also delighted to welcome Simon Harrison to the business as our first external CEO. His FMCG leadership experience makes him ideally placed to build on the momentum we have created. I am also pleased to remain involved with the Group as a Non-Executive Director, and look forward to seeing our excellent team realise the substantial opportunity ahead.”
