After 25 years of service, John Brunton, Hansgrohe’s first and longest-serving project consultant, retires from the business aged 65 years and hands over to his successor James Murray.
A pioneer within the Hansgrohe team, John joined the company in 1989 from the Berglen Group, originally importers of Hansgrohe products, prior to the UK subsidiary being established in 1990. Along with founding Managing Director, Iain McKinlay, John worked to build up the retail market, becoming involved with the occasional project along the way.
Twenty five years later and a dedicated Projects Team at Hansgrohe UK headed up by Jay Phillips, and more recently, a Global Projects Team headquartered in Germany that works closely with the UK team has been set-up to handle contracts where the stakeholders and professionals involved span several countries. John has spent his last months with this new team and is now suceeded by James with the title of Projects Consultant, International Projects.
Having amassed a wealth of experience in the residential, hospitality and shipping sectors, John has worked on some prestigious projects over the years; in fact his resume reads like a ‘who’s who’ of some of the world’s most luxurious properties. Hotel chains such as Bulgari, Hyatt, Four Seasons, Mandarin and Hilton, British Airways Lounges world-wide including Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport, Sunseeker Yachts, Cunard’s QE2 and QM2 and, most recently, the Shangri La at the Shard in London.
John looks forward to spending more time with his family, including two grandchildren. He is also a keen sailor, plays the guitar and plans on learning the ukele. He has treated himself to a classic red Alfa Romeo Spider, so will be out cruising the streets with his wife and miniature Schnauzer dog, Monty.
“2014 is an extraordinary year,” say James Murray, “After 13 years working for Kohler, I have accepted the challenge of Hansgrohe, an innovative and design- oriented company. Because I Ìve been working with John and the team for six months, I feel well equipped to gain future projects for our brands. And what Ìs more since June I have been the proud father of our first child, a little boy, so everything is very exciting!”
