City Electric Supply (CES) (Dallas): After 15 years of leadership as chief executive officer, Thomas Hartland-Mackie has stepped into a new role and will now serve as the executive chairman of CES and City Electrical Factors (CEF), the company's U.K. sector, to support their growth through high-level strategy and culture. Hartland-Mackie will remain as the CEO of Labora Group, the family holding company, to focus on its continued growth.
Co-COOs Andrew Dawes and John Gray will take over as co-CEOs. "Throughout Andrew and John's 31 and 37 years of experience with City Electric Supply, respectively, each has exemplified the entrepreneurial spirit and culture of CES," said Hartland-Mackie in the release. "For the past six years, Andrew and John have achieved many milestones for CES, and one of the hallmarks of their leadership as Co-COOs is that they always do what's right for the business. I'm confident they will continue to bring their loyalty, integrity, expertise, and care for our business and our people as they lead us into the future as Co-CEOs."
Hartland-Mackie joined the business in 2006 as a trainee under his grandfather, Tom Mackie. He said that his five-year training program was unexpectedly cut short, and that in 2008, at the age of 20, he took over for his grandfather as CEO of City Electric Supply, and in 2011 as chairman of the board for City Electrical Factors.
According to the press release, Hartland-Mackie has helped navigate the company through the difficulty of the financial crisis in 2008 and the uncertainty of COVID-19. Under his leadership, CES became a Top 10 electrical wholesale distributor in the U.S., celebrated 10 years of consecutive double-digit growth, achieved record sales, and witnessed nearly 1,400 internal promotions over the past three years. The company also kicked off a e-commerce platform, CES Online, in 2019 and strategically opened five fulfillment centers across the U.S. to support and scale the ecommerce business.
In 1986, John Gray joined the company at just 18 years old as a driver. He went from delivering supplies to organizing the warehouse to selling door-to-door. His passion for the business and helping customers earned him a branch manager position at CEF Harrow in northwest London at just 24 years old. He later moved to the U.S. to support the expansion of the company in the Carolinas. For two decades, he helped oversee new branches in North Carolina, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Kansas, Oklahoma, Philadelphia and the Washington D.C. area.
In 1992, Andrew Dawes kicked off his career as a driver, moved to inside sales, then to branch manager, and continued to climb up the ladder through hard work and dedication. He became the VP of operations for the Canadian business in 2012. He helped the company reach consistent profit with new branch openings. In 2017, Dawes moved to the U.S. when he was appointed Co-COO alongside John Gray while continuing to oversee the Canadian business and helping lead the growth of newer operations like CES Online and National Solutions.
Hartland-Mackie has also stepped down as global CEO over CES and CEF and has promoted Jeremy Saunders, who has most recently served as Co-CEO of CEF, to the position.
"Jeremy has been with CEF for 32 years, and he brings commercial, distribution and logistics, in-house manufacturing, and CEF Online experience to the table," said Hartland-Mackie. "In his new role, Jeremy will be responsible for operations and overall strategy across both businesses so we can be positioned well for long-term success. He is very eager to learn more about the U.S. and Canadian business and, most importantly, understands deeply that our culture is what makes this company so special."