Emmanuel Bruno, formerly the VP and general manager at BIC Graphic North America (asi/40480), is now president of the company. Edgar Hernandez, who had been global general manager at BIC Graphic, did not transition to the standalone company following BIC Graphic’s sale to H.I.G. Capital earlier this year. Hernandez is retiring from BIC Group effective September 30.

“On my side, it is just a change of title,” Bruno told Counselor. “Now we are on our own and are not part of the BIC Group anymore, which has its own policy regarding titles.”

In July, BIC Group completed a deal to sell BIC Graphic and its Asian sourcing division to H.I.G. Capital for $80 million. Hernandez stayed with BIC Group with the intention to retire this fall.

“This has been in the works since we were put into strategic alternative review, so appropriately one year in the making,” Hernandez told Counselor. “I have decided to take a sabbatical for about a month or two and then start applying to universities to complete my MBA. After completion, I will try to find an opportunity to teach at a local community college so I can give back to society.”

In the months following the H.I.G. deal, under Bruno’s leadership, BIC Graphic has been active in increasing its profile. The firm’s products, for example, can be found on Walmart’s new promo products site, walmartpromoshop.com. BIC Graphic is providing the products through a distributor.

Counselor ranks BIC Graphic as the fifth largest supplier in the industry, after the firm reported 2016 North American promo products sales of $316.9 million. Earlier this summer, Bruno said BIC Graphic’s 2017 sales “are in line with our expectations for the year.”