Portmeirion has announced Jane Mason and Hayley Baddiley, both former Denby employees, have joined the team. Jane takes up the position as UK & Europe Director, while Hayley moves into the role of Group Marketing Director.
They will both join the Company on 1 July 2026 and will report to Group CEO, Michael Scheepers.
Jane brings a wealth of sector experience, joining from Denby where she was UK & Ireland Managing Director. She held previous senior roles as Head of Sales for over 14 years at Le Creuset UK, UK Managing Director for DK Household Brands and Global Sales Director for the hospitality business Craster. Jane also chairs the BHETA Housewares Committee and is a Trustee of the Calne Foodbank.
In her role Jane will lead commercial activities across the UK and European markets, with responsibility for sales growth, customer relationships, channel development (owned retail, third-party retail, B2B and e-commerce) and performance across all channels.
Hayley also joins the Group having spent over a decade leading on brand transformation and multi-channel communication strategies as Global Marketing Director for Denby. Earlier this year, after Denby filed for Administration, Hayley led the development and implementation of the high profile ‘#SaveDenby’ campaign, which achieved over 100,000 signatures to a public petition to trigger a government debate on supporting the UK ceramics industry with industrial energy costs. As a result, the Government was forced to issue a response on 11th May 2026 and will debate the topic in Parliament on 6th July 2026.
In her role Hayley will lead the Group’s brand and marketing strategy, with responsibility for strengthening brand equity, particularly for the Group’s three hero brands – Spode, Portmeirion and Royal Worcester, improving consumer engagement and ensuring marketing activity delivers clear commercial impact across the Group’s core brands and markets.
The latest Company hires follow the recent appointment of Michael Scheepers as Group CEO in May 2026 and the Group successfully raising c.£18.6m through a placing of shares with existing and new shareholders earlier this month to significantly reduce its debt and support the delivery of its transformation plan to return the business to sustainable growth and profitability in FY27 and beyond.
Michael Scheepers, CEO of Portmeirion, comments: “The appointments of Jane and Hayley are another important step in delivering on our exciting growth plans for 2027 and beyond. Our strengthened executive leadership team enhances our mix of skills and experience around the table, as well as bringing a fresh transparency and purpose that will be vital to successfully delivering our transformation plan in full.”
Jane Mason, UK and Europe Director, adds: “I’m delighted to be joining the Company at this exciting moment in its journey, with a clear growth plan in place and exciting opportunities ahead. I look forward to becoming part of the team and working closely with Michael again, using my extensive sector experience to help the business achieve our ambitions.”
Hayley Baddiley, Group Marketing Director, says: “Spode, Portmeirion and Royal Worcester all celebrate British craftmanship and design at its best and clearly illustrate the rich portfolio of homeware brands in the Group. As the Company continues to champion the UK ceramics sector, I’m looking forward to playing my part in elevating our brands on a global stage.”
