Steve Sutherland, executive chairman, Amdega
Building products and furniture turnaround specialist Steve Sutherland takes the helm at world's oldest summerhouse maker, Amdega.
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Steve Sutherland, executive chairman, Amdega, St Anne’s Wharf, 112 Quayside, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE99 1SB
Profile
Steve Sutherland is the new man at the helm of Amdega, the world's oldest conservatory company. Former chairman of UK building facade contractor, Dortech Architectural Systems, Sutherland has worked for many years in the building products industry. He was previously worked chairman of bespoke fitted furniture retailer, Neville Johnson.
Amdega, which employs 220 people in Darlington and was founded in 1874, has received significant backing from private equity firm Endless. Amdega has a turnover of £20m and was refreshingly honest about the reasons for the capital investment in the deal announcement: "This year Amdega, whose roots are in quality joinery and craftsmanship of bespoke conservatories and orangeries, has faced several challenges in the market. To ensure we continued as the brand leader in the high-end conservatory market we decided to seek a partner to help us overcome the challenges and difficulties caused by the recession."
In 2009, as reported in the regional press, Amdega had to make redundancies in the teeth of recession.