Eco-cleaning challenger Neat has appointed experienced fmcg leader Toby Gordon-Smith as its first external CEO.
Gordon-Smith brings more than 25 years of consumer brand building and commercial leadership experience to Neat, having held senior roles at Glanbia Performance Nutrition, Valeo Foods Ireland, Diageo and Bain & Company.
Most recently, he spent nearly a decade as managing director of management consulting firm TGS Strategic Solutions.
Previously, Neat was led by its founders Ryan McSorley and Josie Harfield, with the latter acting as its CEO.
The appointment comes after the brand reached the “significant sustainability and commercial milestone” of selling more than six million refills since launching in 2020. Neat’s efforts had saved 243 tonnes of single-use plastic – equivalent to more than 24 million plastic water bottles – from going to landfill, it said.
Neat was seeing “sustained demand” for its concentrated refills, driven by an “increased rate of sale, new customer acquisition and strong shopper loyalty”, it said. Value sales were up by 27% year-on-year across the brand’s four largest retail partners, it added, citing EPOS data from Elm.
“Neat has achieved what very few challenger brands manage by building a beautifully designed product that consumers love, in a category crying out for change,” said Gordon-Smith. “The opportunity now is to build on that foundation by deepening our retail partnerships, growing our direct-to-consumer community and making refillable the obvious choice for every household.”
Giles Brook, Neat board chair, added: “Toby has built and scaled consumer brands at every stage, from founding teams to global fmcg businesses and private equity-backed environments. He knows exactly what it takes to turn a much-loved challenger brand into a household name, and we’re delighted to have him leading Neat into its next chapter.”
This year, Neat has also opened its first manufacturing facility and launched its first Christmas gift set, which debuted this month.
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