Gareth Jenkins: Rolling with the punches

One of Gareth Jenkins’ first tasks in his new role at paper products firm Accrol was to inform the board the business would run out of money in a matter of weeks.

It was a perilous situation that he discovered within days of stepping through the doors to become its chief executive in September 2017 – the third to take the hot-seat in quick succession.

The troubled Blackburn-based toilet paper-maker, floated on the AIM in the summer of 2016 amid much fanfare and with a market capitalisation of £93m, was no longer on a roll.

The business, which makes tissue products for a host of big-name retailers, was in danger of hitting the rocks. In October that year its shares were suspended for a time.

Gareth’s rescue and recovery work began soon after he went to the boardroom to deliver the bad news about the cash flow situation. Today there is a new board and a significantly changed senior management team driving Accrol forward.