The International Housewares Association (IHA) announced on Friday that Mark Adkison is joining the Association as vice president, international, beginning Sept. 18.
Adkison has more than 15 years’ experience in the housewares industry, with an emphasis on global sales and marketing. He fills the vacancy left by the passing of Jeff Murphy in June.
Adkison joins IHA from NorthCentral, LLC where he served as president. Before that he worked for Smith’s Consumer Products, Inc., from 2007-2016, holding the roles of chief marketing officer and vice president of global sales. He began his housewares career in 2002 with Grace Manufacturing, Inc./Microplane, serving as global business unit manager, kitchen division, and sales manager.
“Mark brings a wealth of valuable knowledge and experience to the international challenge,” said Phil Brandl, IHA president & CEO. “He is very familiar with IHA through his involvement as a board member and past president of our International Business Council (IBC), and will take us to new heights of success in the international arena.”
Adkison joined the IBC in 2005 while with Microplane, and was on the board of directors from 2010-2015, serving as president in 2013.
“I am very excited to join IHA team, and I believe the potential for value creation for Association members and industry partners is tremendous,” Adkison said. “I look forward to working with the talented team at IHA and the global home products community to deliver on that value promise.”
The International Housewares Association is the 79-year-old voice of the housewares industry, which accounted for (US)$346.9 billion at retail worldwide in 2015 ($82.2 billion at retail in the U.S.). The not-for-profit, full-service association sponsors the world’s premier exposition of products for the home, the International Home + Housewares Show, and offers its 1,700 member companies a wide range of services, including industry and government advocacy, export assistance, State-of-the-Industry reports, point-of-sale and consumer panel data through Housewares MarketWatch, executive management peer groups, a unique Web-based community at www.housewares.org and group buying discounts on business solutions services.
