Mike Wood, MP, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Furniture Industry Group (APPFIG), and Mark Eastwood, MP, vice chair of the APPFIG, are to be the special guests in the Furniture Makers’ next ‘Innovation in times of crisis’ webinar, themed ‘Engaging with government’.
The webinar, which is taking place via Zoom on Wednesday the 23rd of February 11:00am – 12:00pm, will be chaired by Jonathan Hindle, chairman of the British Furniture Confederation.
The session will focus on how to get industry specific government airtime on key UK policy and future trade discussions, engaging with the APPFIG and life after Brexit.
Jonathan, Mike and Mark will also be joined on the session by British Furniture Confederation (BFC) board members Jessica Alexander, executive director of the National Bed Federation; Nick Garratt, managing director of the British Furniture Manufacturers; and Jeremy Stein, managing director of the British Contract Furnishing Association.
The webinar will culminate with a live Q&A providing attendees an opportunity to question the MPs and the BFC board.
Jonathan Hindle, BFC chairman, said: “The BFC provides our industry with a united and powerful single voice to be taken seriously by government. We constantly remind ministers, parliamentarians and policy makers that the furniture industry is a £20 billion contributor to the UK economy, providing employment to around 380,000 people. They are paying attention to us – and we are always happy for industry to tell us what they want from government.”
Please email your questions in advance to [email protected] or ask your questions live using the Zoom Q&A function.
Jonathan M. Hindle FCSD
Jonathan originally trained as a designer and practiced at leading architectural and design and build companies before moving into sales and marketing in fit out, property development and office furniture design and manufacture. He founded KI’s international subsidiary in the UK in 1994, subsequently developing its operations across the EMEA and South East Asia regions. Jonathan founded the Design Guild Mark in 2007. Jonathan is a Past Master of The Furniture Makers Company. Jonathan is a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers and is also the chairman of the British Furniture Confederation (BFC).
The panellists include:
Jessica Alexander, executive director, National Bed Federation
Jessica’s started her career as a journalist on the furniture trade journal Cabinet Maker. She set up her own PR & Communications business in 1987, when she began working as PR consultant for the National Bed Federation (NBF). In 1995 she set up The Sleep Council which ran as an independent entity until 2004 when it was reabsorbed back into NBF. In 2006 Jessica was appointed to run the NBF, becoming executive director two years later. In 2010, she launched the annual Bed Show and the NBF’s independently audited Code of Practice in 2013. Today, she is spearheading the NBF’s agenda for members to adopt a circular business model and leading the NBF’s partnership with Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS), developing an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for mattresses.
Nick Garratt, managing director, British Furniture Manufacturers
A qualified chemist and chartered engineer with a Masters in Business Administration, Nick Garratt’s early career was spent in large engineering businesses primarily in the automotive industry. After six years as director in a component supply division of Bunzl plc, he moved into the furniture making side of the sector, joining Parker Knoll as operation’s director in 2002. In 2005 he was appointed as operations director at Ercol and then later promoted to managing director, growing the business to a £20m turnover. After 13 years at Ercol, Nick took over as managing director of trade association the British Furniture Manufacturers in 2018.
Jeremy Stein, managing director of the British Contract Furnishing Association
Jeremy Stein has been the managing director of the BCFA for five and a half years, and he previously held senior positions within the membership and publishing sectors. Jeremy was one of the key instigators that led to the formation of FIESTA (www.fiestalearning.co.uk) and he acts as Secretary to the FIESTA Executive. Amongst other sector roles Jeremy is the chair of the BSI Office Furniture Standards Committee and he is a member on the Furniture Makers Southern Committee.
Mike Wood MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Furniture Industry Group
Mike was born and raised in the West Midlands and has campaigned on a variety of issues from a young age. He studied Economics and Law at Aberystwyth University and is a qualified barrister. He has stood for the Welsh assembly a number of times and was elected to Dudley Council in 2014, the following year he was elected was elected to Parliament in 2015, representing the Dudley South constituency. Mike currently serves as the Private Parliamentary Secretary (PPS) to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel having formerly been the PPS to the then Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox. Europe’s largest secure trading estate is based in Mike’s constituency, a facility that includes a number of furniture manufacturers. Mike has been chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Furniture Industry Group since 2019, previously having served as Vice Chair
Mark Eastwood MP, vice chair of the All Party Parliamentary Furniture Industry Group
Mark Eastwood is the Member of Parliament for Dewsbury, an area with the 3rd largest furniture manufacturing base in the United Kingdom. Prior to his election, Mark worked in the furniture and bedding industry for over 15 years. His professional life has seen him work the likes of Gresham, Senator International and Teal Healthcare, among others. He currently serves as the Vice-Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Furniture and Furnishings. He previously sat on the Select Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union.
The Innovation in Times of Crisis series overview
Innovation in manufacturing, 11.00am, 18 February 2021 – Chaired by Peter Holland of Linear Structure, a panel of directors from some of the UK’s leading domestic, contract and office furnishing manufacturers will discuss diversity in manufacturing to beat Covid-19, recovery strategies and the significance of circular manufacturing. Panellists include be Ian Oscroft, managing director of Whitemeadow Furniture; Simon Spinks, group chairman of Harrison Spinks; and Charles Winn-Jones, operations director at Herman Miller.
Engaging with government, 11.00am, 24 February 2021 – Chaired by British Furniture Confederation chairman Jonathan Hindle, a panel of heads of trade associations will be joined by Mike Wood, MP, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Furniture & Furnishings, and Mark Eastwood, MP, vice chair of the APPG, to discuss how to get industry specific government airtime on key UK policy and future trade discussions, engaging with the APPG and life after Brexit. Panellists include Jessica Alexander, executive director, National Bed Federation; Nick Garratt, managing director, British Furniture Manufacturers; and Jeremy Stein, managing director of the British Contract Furnishing Association.
Preservation through education, 11.00am, 4 March 2021 – Chaired by Daniel Hopwood, a panel of experts representing the interior design and design sector will discuss the skills and training requirements needed to survive, usage of marks of accreditation and connectivity with lone, micro and SME interior designers/designer-makers at grass roots. Panellists will be Lester Bennett, British Institute of Interior Design president; Matthew Burt, award-winning bespoke furniture maker; and Rodney McMahon, Design Guild Mark chairman.
Opportunities for furnishing retailers, 11.00am, 11 March 2021 – Chaired by Peter Holland of Linear Structure, a panel of leaders from household name furnishing retailers will discuss retail in the online age, how to entice the consumer back into stores, effective leadership in a crisis and more. Panellists will be Peter Harrison, chief executive, Furniture Village and Tim Stacey, group chief executive officer, DFS.
About The Furniture Makers’ Company
The Furniture Makers’ Company is a City of London livery company and the furnishing industry’s charity. It fosters the industry by supporting those in need, nurturing skills and expertise and inspiring excellence. It provides support and assistance to those in need who are working or have worked in the UK furnishing industry. It supports students and young people with grants, training and mentoring in order to foster talent and safeguard the future of the industry. It encourages the highest standards and best practice in the design, making, marketing and selling of all kinds of furniture and furnishings throughout the UK, recognising quality through the award of its Guild Marks and Awards.
For further information, contact George Cooper, [email protected] or 020 7562 8522.
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