Martin Batts retires from Balcas

Mr Batts entered the timber industry via the management training programme with the timber importer Southern-Evans Ltd. He has spent 45 years within the industry in various sales and senior business positions.

During his career, he spent periods of employment at Snows Timber Glastonbury, Crown Timber, K&B Forest Products, Montague L Meyer and Finnforest (now Metsä Wood).

In the late 1990s as part of the newly assembled team at Finnforest (formerly Hunter Timber & Plywood), Mr Batts assisted in rebuilding the business into what became a major manufacturer and distributor of wood-based products supplying the DIY, merchant and industrial sectors within Great Britain. During this time he successfully account managed the Wickes timber and sheet material business and achieved both category and overall supplier of the year. He then went on to establish the Finnlife range of garden products within Argos and Homebase before returning to merchant sales.

In 2006 Mr Batts joined the sawmilling and energy group Balcas Ltd. Having undertaken a number of key sales roles within Balcas, in 2016 he was promoted to timber sales director. During the past five years with the support of his sales team and business colleagues he has refocused the trading activities of Balcas Timber within its three trading regions of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and guided the business back into sustained growth and profit.

In retiring, he would like to thank colleagues, friends and business contacts for their valued support, advice and good humour.