New Liverymen, Corporate Liverymen and Honorary Freeman

Back row: Dr John Cross (Liveryman), Kevin Grix (Liveryman and Prime Liveryman for The Furniture Ombudsman), Ed Duggan (Prime Liveryman for Fishpools Ltd), Penelope Williams (Hon. Freeman), Vince Linnane (Secondary Liveryman for The Furniture Ombudsman), Damian Walters (Prime Liveryman for The Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installers), Paul Childs (Liveryman).

Front Row: Ben Burbidge (Senior Warden), David Dewing (Master), Tony Smart (Junior Warden).

At the March Court meeting we were very pleased to present an Honorary Freedom of the Company and admit a number of new Corporate Liverymen and Liverymen

Penelope Williams – Honorary Freeman

Penelope was involved with the FTBA, later FIT, for decades, organising events and raising money for the charity until it was merged with The Furniture Makers’ Company. In 1993 she served as the charity President and was heavily involved with both regional committees and the Welfare & Grants Committee, including time as Chairman of each. Following the merger of FIT with the Company she became a Freeman in 2012, and Liveryman later that same year. She is a master craftsman of needlework and an award winning gardener. She is receiving her position of Honorary Freeman in recognition of all her time and effort in support of the furniture industry’s charity

Paul Childs – Liveryman

Paul is a furniture production consultant and part time lecturer at Exeter College. He started work at G Plan in High Wycombe making prototype furniture and designing new production systems. Folloiwng eight years at G Plan, Paul worked for a bespoke furniture maker before joining Smallbones of Devizes where he was operations director. He was head hunted from Smallbones for a role in the Midlands, following which he moved to Exeter. In his free time he enjoys making bespoke furniture, mountain biking, walking, sailing and photography

Dr John Cross – Liveryman

John is a senior lecturer at the Sir John Cass Department of Art, Media & Design at London Metropolitan University. He attended the London College of Furniture from 1986 to 1990, studying for an OND in Furniture Studies and then HND in Furniture Conservation. John received his Masters’ from the Royal College of Art in 1993 before going on to lecture at London Guildhall University and having work published on the timber trade, especially in the Caribbean. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2002. John has been a lecturer at London Met since 1998, and has been involved in a number of groups involved in the conservation of furniture. He is involved in two Furniture Makers’ Company committees, the Training and Education Committee and the Frederick Parker Collection Committee, and was a trustee of the Frederick Parker Committee for over a decade

Ed Duggan – Prime Liveryman, Fishpools

Ed is the Chief Financial Officer & Commercial Director of Fishpools, one of the largest quality furniture show rooms in the South East. He studied Economics & Business Finance at Queen Mary University, London, before joining Tesco’s Graduate scheme in 1991 and taking on a variety of property and commercial finance roles. He joined Debenhams in 1995, before moving into communications  as Vice President of Commercial Finance with Concert Communications, and then as Chief of Staff at Level 3 Communications. In 2005 he became Finance & Commercial Director at Furniture Village, where he worked until 2012, before joining Fishpools in 2013

Kevin Grix – Prime Liveryman, The Furniture Ombudsman

Kevin is the Chief Executive and Chief Ombudsman of The Furniture Ombudsman, which provides dispute resolution for the retail, furniture and home improvement sectors. He began his working life in finance and tourism industries before studying Law at the University of Hertfordshire. Kevin  passed his Bar course in 2008, and qualified as an arbitrator in 2009. He joined The Furniture Ombudsman in 2008 as the Legal Counsel prior to becoming Chief Executive. He is also an Advisory Board Member of the Independent Football Ombudsman and a member of the Executive Committee of the Ombudsman Association

Vince Linnane – Secondary Liveryman, The Furniture Ombudsman

Vince is a Non-Executive Director of The Furniture Ombudsman and an Insurance Broker for Chimera Insurance. He studied international relations at the University of Keele before becoming a Fund Management Trainee for Natwest in 1988. In the 1990s Vince worked for Archford Computers and Guarantee Indemnity Schemes before joining Chimera in 2004. At Chimera Vince works closely with the Trustmark scheme and Office of Fair Trading to develop and implement insurances specialising in prepayments and general consumer protection, and works with The Furniture Ombudsman (TFO) and Homebase in the development of a Trading Standards Approved Code for the Furniture industry

Damian Walters – Prime Liveryman, The Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installers (iKBBI)

Damian is the Chief Executive Officer for The Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installers. Damian studied Business Administration at the University of London before taking a role at the Nationwide Facilities Management PLC, eventually becoming National Installations Manager. In 2000 he joined MFI Furniture Group as a Senior Installations Manager before setting up iKBBI in 2006 prior to its launch in 2007. Damian is an active fundraiser for Little Havens Childrens Hospice and the Alzheimer’s Society, and his interests include High Altitude Mountaineering, Football, and Cricket