Sims Metal appoints new global chief commercial officer
Sims Metal, a division of Sydney-based Sims Ltd., has appointed Robert Thompson as its global chief commercial officer. Thompson previously was vice president, sales and marketing, at Gerdau Long Steel North America and brings more than 30 years of commercial and operational metal recycling and steel experience to Sims Metal, headquartered in Rye, New York. He began his new role July 11.
“Rob’s substantial experience at a global, well-respected organization in both the production and sale of steel and recycled metal makes him uniquely qualified to lead the commercial arm of our metal business division,” says Alistair Field, managing director and CEO at Sims Ltd.
Thompson joined Gerdau North America as vice president and general manager of the Ameristeel Recycling business as part of an acquisition in 2004. He has since held several roles with increasing responsibilities in commercial, operations and logistics in Gerdau’s metallics and raw materials divisions until his most recent position leading sales and marketing for Gerdau’s North American long steel business. Thompson and his family also spent several years in Brazil where he had responsibilities spanning Europe, Latin America and North America.
Prior to Gerdau, Thompson spent 15 years at metal recycling companies.
Sims Metal began its search for a new chief commercial officer after Michael Movsas announced his retirement in January.
“I’ve had the pleasure of doing business with Sims Metal in the past, and I admired their commitment to being a leader and innovator in the metal industry,” Thompson says. “As I have learned more about the business and its strategy in recent weeks, I am more excited to be a part of this organization, which is made up of great people who are aligned and collaborate in their efforts to achieve the company goals and ultimately the Sims purpose.”
At Sims Metal, Thompson has global responsibility for shipping and chartering, as well as for ferrous and nonferrous material buying and processed material sales. He also will be an integral member of Sims Ltd.’s executive leadership team.
Starlight Software Solutions adds chief marketing officer
Starlight Software Solutions, a Denver-based software firm serving the waste management and recycling industry, has appointed Jeanette McMurtry as chief marketing officer.
McMurtry joins Starlight Software Solutions as the company says it is posed for rapid growth owing to the completion of its cloud-based system designed to serve the hauling and recycling sectors.
Starlight says it offers a suite of software as a service (SaaS) solutions that accelerate efficiency across dispatch, inventory, route management, customer and contractor change orders, driver productivity and more.
“Jeanette brings a new level of marketing expertise to Starlight, helping us strengthen our brand as well as our lead generation and sales processes,” says Bill Bradley, CEO and founder of Starlight Software. “Her ability to create and drive winning marketing strategies and campaigns has quickly boosted our pipeline and set us up to exceed our growth goals for 2022 and 2023.”
McMurtry’s background includes marketing strategy, campaigns and execution. She has worked for SaaS companies and Fortune 500 brands such as Sony, Xerox and American Express, helping double sales revenue and increase lead generation and account value.
The company says her success is rooted in her approach to psychology-based marketing, which is the focus of her prior public speaking career, 15-year monthly marketing column and three international books published for Wiley and McGraw-Hill. She is the author of Marketing for Dummies fifth edition, released in 2017, and the sixth edition, which will release in the fall.
“I am honored to be part of Starlight Software Solutions and help accelerate growth for one of the most robust products in waste management that is a true game-changer for the entire industry.”
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