(L-R) Kevin Dunstall, CEO of St Ives Direct Bradford, with sales director Andrew Keighley

St Ives Direct Bradford has appointed sales director Andrew Keighley to lead the company’s new business development and sales operations after recently being acquired by Cogent B2B. 

The £35m turnover specialist direct mail, digital printing and commercial printing firm was bought in an £8m deal last month and has become part of a wider group of production and print specialist businesses. 

Together with Bradford-based Prospect Mailing Services and Griffin Direct Marketing that has offices in Leeds and packaging supplier Boxco, Cogent B2B is building a specialist production and marketing business that has ambitions to grow further through acquisition.

Mr Keighley, has been appointed to lead the sales and business development functions at the firm which he joined four months ago.  He has a 39 year track record in the print and production sector with board roles in the USA and the UK in recent years. 

‘I am working hard to bring on board the most experienced print and production management team. Andrew’s credentials with more than three decades of experience and a fantastic track record in the industry make him the ideal candidate to lead the sales function,’ said CEO Kevin Dunstall. 

‘After just four months with the company he has already become a great asset and he has made a huge impact.  He is already transforming the new business and sales functions and we expect the team to grow rapidly under his leadership,’ he added.

As well as serving customers in the public sector, the business supplies some of the UK’s leading brands in a wide range of sectors and handles over 75 million pieces of marketing correspondence every month.

Mr Keighley has overseen seen recent new contract wins from blue chip clients with a sales value of over £7m, and is leading the firm’s growth through acquisition of new clients as well as growing the range of services offered to existing customers. 

‘I am excited to be taking the new business reins of a company that is integrating into a wider group of complementary businesses that share the same ambition.  St Ives Direct Bradford has a great track record of delivering leading campaigns for big brands and we are gearing up for expansion on the back of a reputation for excellent service using some of the smartest and efficient technology available,’ said Mr Keighley.