Following the recent restructure at the British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA), Keeley Vernon has been appointed as its new DIY sector manager for home improvement and garden.

Ms Vernon’s appointment follows closely after that of Seema Grantham as housewares sector manager. The two new roles were created as part of the restructure and both now report into newly-appointed CEO Will Jones, who was promoted up from his position as housewares sector director.

Ms Vernon previously spent six years as national account manager at paint firm Farrow & Ball, where she was responsible for strategically developing and managing the Homebase account. She brings considerable industry experience to her new role at BHETA, having also had a similar national accounts position at Fiskars where she worked on the Fiskars, Robert Sankey and Kitchen Devils brands, managing accounts for major high street names, such as John Lewis, Tesco, Robert Dyas and The Range. Ms Vernons also has experience of the retail side, having been a key account manager at GSM UK, trading as Billabong.

As BHETA DIY sector manager, she will be supporting existing members with added value initiatives in the home and garden markets, as well as building the membership base through recruitment.

Ms Vernon commented: “I’m delighted to be joining the BHETA team at such an exciting time. My drive and focus for the home improvement and garden markets can be put to good use and it is a great opportunity for me to contribute to the continuous enhancement of members' engagement with the Association while adding value to their businesses.”

CEO Will Jones added: “Keeley will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the established BHETA team and I look forward to working with both her and Seema to spearhead existing and new added value initiatives for BHETA members as we move into a new era.”