Apollo managing director to retire after three decades

Ian Cornelius, the managing director of Apollo, a leading manufacturing of adhesives, is to retire after nearly three decades at the company.

Apollo is part of the global adhesive manufacturer H.B. Fuller and Ian will continue to with H.B. Fuller on a consultancy basis.

Ralph Kussmann, H.B. Fuller 's managing director for Construction Adhesives in EIMEA and member of the company 's global Construction Adhesives Leadership Team, will now lead this business in UK and Europe.

Ian joined Apollo in 1994 as a sales professional before becoming UK Sales manager in 2000.

While serving as Sales and Marketing director in 2011, he played a pivotal role in leading the company growth in the roofing sector and company as a whole.

Appointed managing director in 2015, Ian has since enhanced Apollo 's strategic approach and significantly grew its business into a £40+ million business today.

Recently, he steered the Apollo team through the difficult times of the Covid-19 pandemic and also played a key part in the acquisition by H.B. Fuller at the beginning of this year, starting a new growth chapter for the company which is celebrating 50 years of innovative products and strong customer relationships.

The manufacturer wants to reinforce its industry-leading position as a premier adhesive supplier and expand in Europe using the model that has brought it much success in the UK, particularly within the roofing market.

Mr Cornelius (pictured) said: “It has been a truly incredible journey. I feel tremendously honoured and privileged to have had the opportunity to lead such a talented team and wonderful business. I would like to express my deep gratitude and appreciation to colleagues, customers, and suppliers past and present for their role in making Apollo what it is today.

“I leave safe in the knowledge that under Ralph 's care along with the outstanding skills of the leaders and wider management team, the Construction Adhesives business can only go from strength to strength. ”

Mr Kussmann added: “Ian is a truly outstanding leader who has built a solid business and a high performing leadership team. His ability to quickly solve problems and inspire others has played a pivotal role in Apollo 's achievements.

“Ian has been instrumental in ensuring we continue the success story together with our employees and customers by capitalizing on Apollo 's innovative technologies and superior technical expertise in UK and now increasingly across the European continent. ”

As well as continuing support with H.B. Fuller, Ian will also be embarking on other coaching and mentoring roles.