SCA decides to axe top European marketing post

SCA Hygiene Products, the manufacturers of Velvet and Bodyform brands, has shelved plans to appoint a European marketing director after restructuring for the second time in four months.

The latest reshuffle follows the resignation of Western European marketing director David Macfarlane last year.

The role of European marketing director, which was offered to Macfarlane (MW November 2, 2000) was designed to ease greater centralisation of the company’s functions.

SCA had been restructured into a tissue division for toilet rolls and a “fluff” division for feminine hygiene brands.

The latest restructuring has created two business unit director roles to oversee the two divisions. Macfarlane’s responsibilities have been split between three people.

The UK tissue division will be headed by Steve Mulcahy and the fluff division by Sally Barker. Both were formerly sales directors within the company.

The two business unit directors report to regional manager Willem Emmen, who has overall responsibility for the whole of SCA Hygiene in the UK, Belgium and Netherlands.

A spokeswoman says: “The position of European marketing director is no longer applicable, since the company has recently gone through a massive restructuring”.

In August last year, SCA Hygiene Products extended its Velvet toilet tissue brand into facial tissues for the first time, placing it in direct competition with Kimberly-Clark’s Kleenex (MW August 3, 2000).