Ben Burbidge installed as new Master

We are delighted to announce that Ben Burbidge has been installed as the new Master of The Furniture Makers’ Company.

The annual installation ceremony took place on Monday 9 May 2016 at St Mary-le-Bow Church in the City of London, followed by a celebratory dinner at Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London.

More than 230 members of the furniture industry were in attendance at the installation dinner and were joined by dignitaries including the Lord Mayor of London and Lady Mayoress.

Ben Burbidge, who succeeds David Dewing as Master, said: “The Furniture Makers’ Company’s vision resonates deeply with me and I feel honoured to have been given the chance to lead this wonderful organisation for the next 12 months.

“I would like my year to be about the pleasures of fellowship. I want to see our membership grow significantly in the year ahead, through new Freemen joining and Freemen becoming Liverymen. For such an active and relevant organisation, we should all be doing more to encourage the people we know in the industry to join us.”

During his installation speech, the new Master spoke about his forthcoming charity bike ride, which will see him and around 30 other people from the industry cycle 450 miles from London to Bordeaux, France, from 11-17 September 2016. The team of cyclists are hoping to raise £50,000 for the charity.

The evening also included an award ceremony for The Christopher Claxton Stevens Prize, The Jonathan Hindle Prize for Excellence, The John Makepeace Prize for Innovation and a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Christopher Claxton Stevens Prize was presented to Matthew Burt for the Pyramidalised Dresser in rippled olive English Ash.

The Jonathan Hindle Prize winner was announced as Simon Pengelly for the UNNIA range.

The John Makepeace Prize winner was announced as Simon Pengelly for the Pedestal Chair from the UNNIA range.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Anthony Brown OBE for his outstanding contribution to the British furniture industry, having worked at office furniture manufacturer Bisley for over 55 years.