Donaldson Group

Neil Donaldson, retired Executive Chairman of James Donaldson Group was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s virtual Timber Trade Journal (TTJ) Awards. The annual TTJ Lifetime Achievement Award rewards outstanding achievement in the timber sector.

After recently retiring from his 45 year-long career back in July, Neil certainly has been part of the timber industry for a lifetime. He has always been a passionate supporter of timber and very well known within the industry. Neil was virtually presented the award by the TTJ on Friday 25^th September for his outstanding contribution to the industry since he joined Donaldson’s back 1975.

Neil’s achievements are not only limited to his successful career at Donaldson’s as he became the first Scottish Chairman of the Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA) in 1988. He was also President of the Scottish Timber Trade Association (STTA) from 2004 – 2006 and was President of the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) from 2006 – 2008.

Neil Donaldson commented: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved as a business and an industry over the last 45 years and I couldn’t be happier to be presented with the TTJ’s Lifetime Achievement Award, albeit in a slightly different way to normal. It’s an honour and also a complete shock and starts my new chapter of retirement on a real high! I can’t wait to see what future brings for both the business and the industry.”

Neil Donaldson has announced his retirement from leading timber specialist, James Donaldson & Sons, after 45 years with the business, as he hands over the reins to the sixth generation.

Neil joined Donaldson’s in 1975, after graduating from Heriot-Watt University with an MSc in Business Studies. He grew up spending his school holidays working for the family business, but his first official role was as a sawmiller, before moving into sales in the late 1970s. He took over from his father as managing director in 1985.

During his tenure, Neil has overseen the expansion of Donaldson’s from a small business in Fife, Scotland, to a national company, operating from 31 sites across the UK. Developments and strategic acquisitions in that time include: the creation of Donaldson Timber Engineering (DTE), which now has nine branches; timber merchant MGM Timber, which has 14 branches; expanding James Donaldson Timber and moving into MDF with the purchase of Palgrave Brown; insulation product manufacturer, Nu Style; Cambridge Roof Truss; and most recently, doorset and bespoke joinery specialist, Rowan Manufacturing and kitchen manufacturer, Smith & Frater.

Neil credits much of his confidence in growing the business to the time he spent at Harvard Business School in 1994.

Very well-known in the industry, Neil is a passionate supporter of timber, and in 1988 he became the first Scottish Chairman of the Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA). He was also President of the Scottish Timber Trade Association (STTA) from 2004 – 2006 and was President of the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) from 2006 – 2008.

Neil is retiring on 31st July and is succeeded by his son and deputy Chairman, Michael Donaldson. Michael will co-lead and co-manage the business with his brother, Andrew Donaldson, who took over as Chief Executive Officer in April this year.

Commenting on his retirement, Neil said: “I have been extremely fortunate to have spent my career working with something I love, making a product that I love, in a business where I have been able to develop it into what I think it should be. I always wanted to work for the family business – I have wood in my DNA – and I think I can say that I’ve made the most of my time here! I always said that I hoped to retire at 65, in our 160^th year of business, and the time is definitely right to pass the business on to the next generation.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve done with the business over the last 45 years – and indeed over the last 160 – and I’m happy to be going out on a high. To have both Mike and Andy taking over is the ideal scenario and I’m excited to see where they take it next. Meanwhile, I’ll be golfing, fishing and spending more time with my wife, Val, who has been an incredible support to me throughout my career.”

Along with his roles in the timber industry, Neil is former Chairman of Scotland’s leading spa hotel resort, Crieff Hydro; is a former Chairman of Securities Trust Scotland; and is the current Chairman of Baillie Gifford’s Shin Nippon in Japan.

The James Donaldson Group comprises seven subsidiaries, trading from 31 sites throughout the UK, with over 1,000 employees and a turnover of circa £225m. The business has been operating in Fife for 160 years.

Leading timber specialist, James Donaldson & Sons has announced its new senior team, as Andrew Donaldson and Michael Donaldson take over as chief executive officer and chairman.

As the business celebrates its 160th anniversary, 2020 is a momentous year for the Group, with the change in leadership also marking the sixth generation of Donaldsons to run the family firm. Andrew was appointed as CEO in April, with Michael commencing his position as chairman from 31 July.

Andrew joined the family business in 2010 after completing a graduate training program at KPMG (Edinburgh) and qualifying with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS). He has spent the last ten years working in a variety of roles within the business, primarily as commercial director for MGM Timber and then latterly for James Donaldson Timber, before becoming group finance director in 2019. Andrew takes over the top job from Scott Cairns, who stepped down as group managing director in April after nine years in the role, which saw him as the first ever non-family member to lead the Group.

With almost 20 years of experience in the industry, Michael joined the Donaldson Group in 2003. He started his career manufacturing roof trusses for Donaldson Timber Engineering Ltd in Cramlington. Since then he has worked with three of the JDS trading companies in roles ranging from internal sales and operations through to director level. In 2007 he became one of the first to qualify with an MSc in Timber Industry Management at Edinburgh Napier University and he is also a director of the Timber Trade Federation (TTF). Michael became deputy chair in 2018 and takes over the role of chair in July when his father, Neil Donaldson retires.

In their new roles, Andrew is responsible for the commercial and trading performance of the business, while Michael will lead the main supervisory board, which comprises chairman, four non-executive directors, finance director and CEO. Both brothers will be involved in developing strategy and driving the Group forward, as they co-lead and co-manage the business.

Outgoing chairman of the James Donaldson Group, Neil Donaldson comments: “It was always my hope that the business would be passed on to the next generation, so for both Andy and Mike to be taking on the reigns is an ideal scenario and a proud moment for me. The business is a very different one to the one I started running in 1985, and I’m pleased to be leaving it on a high and in such good hands. The transition from one generation to the next has been well considered and planned for over the last ten years, and I’m confident that both Andy and Mike will do an excellent job in their roles.”

Andrew Donaldson says: “We were brought up with our father and grandfather leading the business, so their moral compass is at the forefront of all we do – nothing will change in terms of the Donaldson ambitions or principles. Our focus will always be good governance; partnerships with our suppliers and customers; and looking after our loyal employees. However, we’re ready to take the Group into the next generation and put our stamp on it, which is an incredibly exciting prospect.”

Michael Donaldson adds: “Andrew and I spent our summers working in the family business, and we’ve spent the last ten years preparing to take over the leadership. The last two years in particular have offered serious training for the roles, with Andy as CFO and me as deputy chairman. Despite the incredibly difficult circumstances that we find ourselves in at the time of taking over, dealing with the impact of COVID-19, things are off to a great start for us and we have some ambitious plans for the business.”

Scott’s tenure has seen the 160-year-old family business double in turnover to over £200M with several consecutive years of record profitability up to the present day. Scott has served as Group MD for the past eight years. Before that he was Managing Director for both James Donaldson Timber and MGM Timber, resulting in over 24 years of service to the JDS group.

Andrew is a 6^th generation Donaldson family member and will succeed Scott as of today. As a Chartered Accountant, gaining his credentials from KPMG, Andrew has worked for the Donaldson Group since 2010. He has spent the last two years as Group Finance Director driving the Group’s direction along with the operating board while working closely with Scott on all group-wide projects.

Neil Donaldson, Non-Executive Chairman of the Donaldson Group, said: “I’m delighted that my son, Andrew, will be taking over this 6^th generation family business as CEO. I am confident that he will prove to be a worthy successor to Scott, and I wish him well in this new role in what are incredibly challenging times. I’d also like to thank Scott for his invaluable contribution to the success of the business. He will indeed be a hard act to follow.”

Scott will continue in an advisory role on the Supervisory Board as a Non-Executive Director supporting Andrew’s transition.