Top jobs empty at rival distributors

Troubled distributor Landis has suffered another major blow after it emerged that its sales director, James Maunder, has resigned after only two months at the company.

The shock revelation came to light as rival distributor Azlan announced the redundancies of Ed Arnett, group director of marketing and services and Andrew Bud, group strategic marketing director.

Roger Paul, managing director of Landis, confirmed that ex-Azlan UK managing director Maunder had resigned from the distributor.

Paul said: 'Maunder joined us a bit too late - he had only just left Azlan. He needed time to decide what he wanted to do with his career in the future.'

Maunder was reluctant to comment on the situation at Landis, but said: 'If he (Paul) thinks that I have resigned, then he might be right.'

Maunder joined Landis under a storm of controversy after being made redundant from Azlan in September this year. His employment at Landis resulted in his former employer considering taking legal action against him for breach of contract (PC Dealer, 5 November).

Paul denied there was any animosity between himself and his former sales director and added: 'I do not have any immediate plans to fill the position, I am fairly hands-on myself.'

Meanwhile, as Azlan continued to streamline its operations, chairman and chief executive Barrie Morgans denied the cuts were due to past problems with financial irregularities at the distributor.

Morgans said: 'I would not have kept people on board if that were the case. It is with reluctance that I have decided to take these costs out.'

Morgans also denied that former UK managing director Arnett or Bud had been fired, stating that both employees would work the full term of their leave. He also said that Arnett had begun a period of leave which commenced on 15 November.

He added: 'I am not envisaging any more restructuring, but it is the market that decides.'

Previously responsible for training, Arnett became managing director of Azlan in February 1995 as part of a number of management changes at the distributor.