Co Down business leader wins coveted NACS Industry Leader Award

A Northern Ireland business leader is this year’s recipient of the NACS Industry Leader of the Year award.

CEO of The Maxol Group Brian Donaldson from Co Down said he was ‘honoured’ and thanked the McMullan family for their continued support.

The award will be presented on June 6 during a special awards gala at the NACS Convenience Summit Europe in Barcelona.

He explained: “I am honoured to receive this recognition and award from my peers.

"This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire Maxol team and support of the McMullan family.

"Over the past decade, our collective efforts have driven the success and innovation that define our company today. I am proud of what we have achieved, and this award inspires us to continue our journey."

Donaldson joined Maxol Oil Limited in September 1986 as a graduate trainee and was actively involved in the development of Maxol's retail network in Northern Ireland. He quickly progressed to area manager, then to retail manager and was appointed general sales manager for Northern Ireland in 1995.

In 2002, he served as a general manager of marketing and retail at The Maxol Group and was responsible for developing its extensive retail network, maximizing non-fuel income streams, developing food partner alliances with Mace/Spar and coordinating its marketing, sponsorship and PR activities throughout Ireland.

From 2012 he was chief operating officer and in 2016 appointed CEO and has overseen a transformative strategy in repositioning Maxol has an innovative convenience led brand through the introduction of Maxol’s own convenience concept in the Republic of Ireland with proprietary brands, ROSA coffee, Maxol deli and private label range. He currently sits on the CBI NI Council and recently became chair of CBI NI’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Working Group, which is driving significant improvements around charge-point provision across Northern Ireland.

Established by William McMullan in 1920, Maxol is a 104-year-old company and the largest family-owned convenience forecourt retailer in Ireland. With a network of 242 branded service stations, Maxol is one of the most recognised fuel brands in Ireland.

“Brian has done an amazing job of transforming the company from one that is fuel based to one that is food based. As the industry continues to along this path, this is a model to both study and celebrate,” added NACS President and CEO Henry Armour.

Maxol has received accolades from NACS over the years for its innovative approach to convenience retail and exceptional store formats. Most recently, the Maxol Ballycoolin in Dublin, Ireland, won the 2022 NACS European Convenience Retailer of the Year Award, and the Maxol Newbridge in County Kildare won the 2021 NACS European Convenience Retail Best of the Best Store Award.

The NACS Convenience Summit Europe is taking place June 4-6 in Barcelona, Spain.

The global event takes place each year in a different European city and is hosted by U.S.-based NACS.