James Cropper plc, the Kendal-based paper, packaging and materials company, has named David Stirling as its new CEO, taking over from Steve Adams early next year. 

Stirling will join the company as Chief Executive Officer Designate in January 2025 and will be appointed to the Board as Chief Executive Officer following a short handover period. 

He was most recently Chief Executive Officer at Zotefoams plc, a listed pioneer in cellular materials, a position he held for 24 years. Under his leadership, Zotefoams developed a range of technical materials to serve a diverse global customer base and grew from a single UK site to multiple manufacturing operations across the UK, Europe, North America and Asia. 

He began his career as a chartered accountant with KPMG in the UK and PricewaterhouseCoopers in the US and Europe before transitioning into industry. 

Mark Cropper, Non-Executive Chair, said: “David has a proven track-record for delivering growth in materials businesses by developing new products and entering new markets across a variety of end-uses on an international scale.  I am confident that his strong leadership and strategic outlook will harness the strength and value of our products and services across our global markets and diverse customer base.” 

“On behalf of the Board, I would also like to thank Steve for his contribution over the last two years as Chief Executive Officer, and prior to that as Managing Director of the Paper & Packaging business. Steve has navigated the business during a challenging period, and leaves James Cropper repositioned for growth as an advanced materials business.”   

Stirling said: “I am excited to join the team at James Cropper and look forward to working with the Board, Executive team and wider workforce to deliver value across the business portfolio of advanced materials and paper and packaging products.”