After over 25 years as a board director of specialist packager distributor Complete FS, Tony Salentino is to retire at the end of the year.

Salentino (pictured) joined Complete in the early 1990s after helping establish the brands of Advance Mortgage Funding and C2 Financial as packagers for the specialist market.

He said: “This hasn’t been an overnight decision but one which has been long in the planning. Having Damian Cain, a founding director, rejoin the business in 2016 meant that with Damian and my fellow director, Phil Jay, in harness, I could begin to plan an appropriate and gradual exit and have been working reduced hours this year as Damian, in particular, has taken over many of my responsibilities.

“The business has been on a stable growth curve for the last five years and with Damian back on board working with Phil, I could see that the business would be in good hands. Therefore it was the right time for me to step down and spend a bit more time with my wife, who retired in September, my family and my first granddaughter, as well as further develop my passion for football coaching at the renowned Southampton FC Academy where I have worked for 19 years.

“Of course I have mixed feelings. There’s no doubt I will miss the packaging industry, something that I’ve been part of since it began. I will certainly miss some of the great characters and friends I have made over the years. However, I’m not one to sit around and some recent opportunities at Southampton FC have arisen and opened the door to supporting the growth of the Global Department of the Club which has already led to opportunities in Canada, USA and recently Italy, which were very exciting.

“Finally, I would like to say a massive thank you to the industry for giving me some memorable experiences, amazing opportunities and for the pleasure of meeting and making friends with some remarkable people. I’m going to miss you and wish you all continued success, good health and happiness. Arrivederci.”