Chad Harrison International’s annual salary benchmarking review draws on placement data from across our sector verticals over the preceding 12 months. This is not survey data — these are the actual compensation packages agreed in senior hires placed by our consultants. We publish it because we believe the market works better when both candidates and employers have access to accurate compensation data.
Print Sector — Director Level
Sales Director roles in commercial print are currently being placed in the £90,000–£120,000 base salary range, with performance-related elements adding between 20–35% in a strong year. The upper end of the range reflects roles with national or international scope and genuine P&L accountability. Operations Director roles are typically in the £85,000–£110,000 range. Managing Director appointments range from £110,000 at smaller independents to £180,000+ at larger groups and PE-backed businesses.
Car allowances remain standard at Director level, typically £6,000–£9,000 or a company car equivalent. Pension contributions above statutory minimum are consistent across the sector, with most quality employers offering 5–8% employer contribution.
Packaging Sector — Director Level
Packaging sector Director salaries have moved upwards more sharply than print over the past two years, driven by genuine demand-supply imbalance at the experienced end. Commercial Director and Sales Director roles are consistently placed at £100,000–£145,000 base. Technical Directors and R&D leaders are typically in the £90,000–£125,000 range. MD appointments at packaging businesses of scale are frequently in the £140,000–£200,000+ range.
Equity participation is increasingly a feature of packaging sector senior packages, particularly in PE-backed businesses. We have placed a number of senior candidates in the past 12 months at businesses where equity participation was a significant component of the offer — in some cases representing a multiple of annual salary at exit.
POS & Display, Marketing Services, Promotional Merchandise
Senior commercial roles across POS and display are typically in the £85,000–£120,000 range at Director level. Marketing services is broadly similar, with print management and outsourced marketing operations roles at the higher end — £95,000–£135,000 for roles with genuine strategic client relationships and P&L scope.
Promotional merchandise Director roles are typically in the £80,000–£110,000 range, though the larger multi-category distributors are paying significantly more for senior talent with strong corporate client relationships.
Market Dynamics
Across all five verticals, the most significant dynamic is the gap between what businesses are benchmarking against and what the market is actually paying. Businesses using salary data from three or four years ago are systematically underpricing their roles, running longer searches, and losing candidates to better-positioned competitors. If you’re planning a senior appointment, get a current market benchmark first.
We’re happy to provide a confidential current benchmark for any specific role across our sector verticals. It takes one conversation and costs nothing.
