Compliance manager appointed as business continues to expand

Gateshead-based mailing house, Washington Direct Mail, has appointed Steve Evans as compliance manager.

Steve, who has a PHD in Biochemistry, was previously compliance manager at medical devices company, Convatec, an American manufacturer. Before that he worked for PET Ltd, where he put in place a quality system for food packaging. Other roles include a ten-year stint with MSD Biologics, a global pharmaceutical company in Teesside and for British Biotech, in Oxford, the first company in the world to conduct research into HIV.

Based on Team Valley Trading Estate, Washington Direct Mail was founded in 1983, employs 30 staff and provides a full range of print and mailing services, including personalised direct mail, litho and variable digital printing, data cleansing, fulfilment, dispatch and response handling.

In the last 12 months the company has grown by 50% and is looking to end its financial year with a turnover well in excess of £3million.

Lynn Beasley, managing director, said: “We’re a small, agile, SME with a very strong team culture and a clear vision for the future. We are going through a period of strong investment in the business that includes new technologies and processes and recent ISO27001 certification.

“To ensure that we take advantage of the huge opportunities that exist in the market we also need to invest in the very best of people. Steve has vast experience of delivering quality and compliance strategies for international businesses and his appointment will significantly strengthen our management team.”

The company, whose customers include the company behind the Great North Run, Trafford Council, over thirty different NHS Hospitals and a wide range of printers across the UK, is certified to ISO9001 (quality management), ISO14001 (environmental management), ISO18001 (Occupational health and safety) and has recently been awarded ISO27001 (information security management).

Steve, who will oversee both compliance and bid writing, said: “I was immediately impressed by the focus the company has already placed on compliance and the attainment of ISO certifications. I have worked for some very big global operations and none of them have had all of these standards together. For a small SME such as Washington Direct Mail to have all four is incredible and a testament to the ambition the management team has for the business.

“I wanted to move from a corporate business to a small business with a strong vision. What particularly appealed to me was the harnessing of the ambition of the management team with my own vast experience in compliance. It creates a perfect platform for me to make a real difference that will help drive the business forward.”