Two Senior Appointments as Duckhams Oils Invests in UK Growth Strategy

Two new senior figures have joined Duckhams Oils as the 126-year-old lubricants brand pushes ahead with its UK growth strategy. Chris Chaplin joins as Head of Marketing, bringing more than 15 years in the automotive aftermarket, including five years as Marketing Director across Tetrosyl Group's Trade and International divisions and eight years leading marketing at Alliance Automotive Group UK & Ireland, where he supported brand awareness across more than 400 member businesses.

Lee Shipley takes on the role of Sales Key Account Manager for the UK and Ireland. He joins from GSF Group, where he led a field sales force of 45 people and was responsible for Porsche sales division activity and oil sales across the UK and Ireland. Shipley has also held technical and managerial roles at Comma Oils, Euro Car Parts and Michelin.

Mike Bewsey, Duckhams' CEO, said: "I am delighted to welcome Chris and Lee to our growing UK team. Both Chris and Lee have a strong track record of delivering commercial success in the UK automotive aftermarket." He added that the pair's arrival, following last year's appointments of Graham Lane as Head of Commercial and Henrik Hansen as Head of Sales, "further strengthens our UK team," and that the brand's new direct-to-market strategy, backed by Zuber Issa CBE's investment, was allowing Duckhams "to capitalise on this much-loved brand's growth potential."

Founded in 1899 by chemist Alexander Duckham, Duckhams has built a long history of engineering firsts, including Europe's first multigrade oil in 1951. The appointments continue the rebuild of the brand's senior team since Issa's investment earlier in 2025, setting the stage for the wider retail expansion that followed later in the year.