Fiskars Brands UK Ltd has appointed Fran Kershaw as Head of Marketing.

Fran will be responsible for leading the marketing team across all business areas including Fiskars Garden Tools, Sankey Home and Garden Products, Kitchen Devils and Fiskars School, Office and Craft - manufacturers of the world famous Fiskars orange-handled scissors.

Fran has worked across the garden and homewares brands within Fiskars UK over the past few years and takes up the new position with immediate effect from her previous role as Marketing Manager of Sankey Home and Garden Products.

“This year sees some fundamental changes in Fiskars Brands UK,” explains Fran.

“With support from our head office in Finland, we are investing substantially to build the Fiskars brand in our garden tools offering.

“It is a very exciting time, and backed by the strong marketing team, I look forward to developing all of the divisions under the Fiskars Brands UK umbrella as we strive to become the first choice in home and garden products.”

In April this year, Fiskars announced that its renowned garden tools would be branded as Fiskars across the UK from September 2009. This is a strategic move to build the brand promoting Fiskars’ position as the world’s number one manufacturer of garden tools and Fran will be responsible for delivering unprecedented levels of investment in trade partnership and consumer marketing programmes.

As part of this drive, Fiskars is currently exhibiting at garden shows across the country where it has launched its Fiskars Orange Thumb initiative (www.orangethumb.co.uk). Fiskars Orange Thumb is a scheme that provides community garden groups with the tools and materials they need to clean up their communities and enhance their green spaces.

Andrew Smith, Managing Director of Fiskars Brands UK, says: “Fran’s appointment exemplifies our commitment in making our brands and business areas even more successful in the months and years ahead.

“Over the coming years we will be investing substantially year on year to build the Fiskars brand. We have a 360-year history in manufacturing tools and we have a vision to build Fiskars into a power brand in the UK gardening tools sector.

“Fran’s appointment is crucial in helping us deliver on this vision alongside building our other home, office and craft brands.”

For more information on this press release please contact Graham Paskett, Charlotte Hopkinson or Gemma Pittham at Paskett Public Relations Limited, Unit 24 and 25, Friar Gate Studios, Ford Street, Derby, DE1 1EE. Tel: 00 44 (0)1332 258335 or 00 44 (0)1332 258336, fax: 00 44 (0)1332 258337 or e-mail: grahampaskett@paskett.co.uk/charlottehopkinson@paskett.co.uk/gemmapittham@paskett.co.uk