KENT, UK - Stephen Falder has been appointed the new Secretary General of the Nova Paint Club following the retirement of Peter Lovell, who has been in the role since 1993. Lovell stood down at the recent Nova meeting in Tel Aviv after 21 years as the key executive at the international coatings organization.

Lovell has worked in the global paint industry for over 42 years and was a founding member of Nova, having been present at the inaugural meeting in Cannes in 1983. During his time as Secretary General, the group has expanded from six members in 1993 to its current membership of 12, with a focus on new growth markets in South and Central America and Asia. Nova has also broadened its horizons - expanding on its original mission to encompass knowledge sharing and cooperation on everything from raw materials suppliers to marketing initiatives. Recently, he led the development of the virtual Nova clubhouse, a unique online portal for the exchange of ideas and information between members.

Falder, who started his new position on May 1, is himself an experienced coatings professional who began helping with the family paint company, HMG Paints Limited, as a boy. Since that time he’s been involved in starting 18 new business in the UK including Byotrol PLC, which was floated on London’s AIM market in 2005. He has a passion for skills and training and was chairman of Proskills - the UK government funding body for skills development for over 500,000 process industry workers - for eight years. In addition, he was made the youngest ever chairman of the British Coatings Federation in 2000.