The Board of Coats Group plc announced a succession plan for Rajiv Sharma, who has decided to step down from his role after 14 years with Coats, the last eight years as Group Chief Executive, and leave the Group by the end of 2024. Following a comprehensive selection process, supported by external advisers, the Board has appointed David Paja as Group Chief Executive designate. David is expected to join the Group and become an Executive Director of the Board on 1 September 2024 and assume responsibilities from Rajiv on 1 October 2024.

Rajiv will remain available to the Board and David until year-end. David Paja was until recently CEO of GKN Aerospace, where he played a major role in the successful turnaround of the business and delivery of profitable growth. Prior to this, David held senior leadership positions at Aptiv, Honeywell and Valeo.