Bell and Howell appoints Leslie Stern as president
US mailing equipment and software provider Bell and Howell has appointed former National Envelope CEO Leslie F Stern as its new president. Stern will report to CEO George Marton, effective immediately, and will be based at company headquarters in Durham, North Carolina.
The company said this week it has also formed a new top-level unit, the Office of the Chief Executive Officer, to include Marton, Stern and chief operating officer John Tarascio.
Stern, who is also a former CEO of paper merchants Central Lewmar, will lead Bell and Howell’s global marketing and sales activities, as well as other key aspects of the company’s organisation.
Marton said: “Les’s prior successful tenures as CEO of National Envelope and Central Lewmar afford him great familiarity with the production mailing industry and many of Bell and Howell’s customers.”
The new top-level management structure at Bell and Howell will allow CEO Marton to focus on “critical” strategic and customer issues, he said.
He explained: “With the Office of the CEO now a reality, we’re now optimizing our management talents, freeing me from the many strictures of day-to-day operations which will be ably handled by John and Les as our senior operating team.”
Bell and Howell currently employs around 1,600 people, offering paper-based and digital messaging systems. The company was rebranded following the acquisition of Böwe Bell + Howell by Philadelphia-based private equity firm Versa Capital Management, Inc., over the summer.
Taking up his new appointment, Stern said there was “enormous potential” at Bell and Howell. He said: “Because of its superior products and expert resources, Bell and Howell is well positioned to help its customers increase productivity, reduce costs and adjust to the evolving industry landscape.”
