Catherine Earle – Freeman profile

By Catherine Earle, managing director of CSJ PR & Marketing, who was admitted as a freeman in 2022.

This article is taken from Austin Friar 2023.

My interest in the furniture industry began in the early nineties. My parents founded a trade magazine in 1993, and, as a result, I spent a lot of time visiting trade shows with them in and around Europe. It’s difficult to imagine it now, but I remember walking through sawdust-filled exhibition halls with my sister, cheekily filling up our rucksacks with promotional teddy bears, fuzzy logo bugs and sweets as my parents interviewed product specialists and photographed the very latest products to enter the market. I didn’t know it at the time, but attending exhibitions like these would stand me in good stead in my adult life.  While many of the friendly faces I came across have since moved on or retired, they played an important role in forging my career and helped me gain valuable insight into an industry I’m proud to be a part of.

Today, I am the managing director of CSJ PR & Marketing Limited – one of the only international PR and marketing agencies to specialise in the furniture manufacturing and design industry. For over 10 years, my company has represented leading brands in the woodworking machinery, component and materials industry – both in the UK and abroad. It’s my job to deliver creative and impactful solutions to the industry, and as my company continues to grow, so does my passion and enthusiasm for the industry I work in.

I was first introduced to The Furniture Makers’ Company in 2018 when I was managing the PR for the W Exhibition, a biennial woodworking machinery and components trade show. Working alongside the then event director, we reworked the show’s format and introduced an Education Zone that was designed to encourage young talent to enter the industry. We arranged for trade associations, charities, colleges and universities to take part and as a result, I met my sponsor, Gary Smith. We spent a considerable length of time discussing The Furniture Makers’ Company and the amazing work taking place. I was also fortunate enough to be introduced to other members. I listened to their experiences first hand, and they talked freely about the different welfare, excellence and educational programmes they had taken part in. Their stories were honest, and the praise bestowed on The Furniture Makers’ Company was sincere. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of an organisation that has helped so many people in our industry? Because of these heartfelt conversations, I decided to become a freeman. I have been fortunate enough to work with several trade associations in the UK and USA and while they approach tasks differently they all share equal amounts of passion for the industry they are in. We all want our industry to thrive, but to do this, we need to attract the right people with the right skill set. Yes, it has been said before, but what stood out for me was The Furniture Makers’ Company’s ongoing commitment to doing something about it. Hearing about their education and development programme – which actively helps, supports and encourages the next generation – made me sit up and take note. I found myself asking, would I have known what an amazing industry this is to work in if my parents had chosen a different career path? Would I have known what opportunities were available to me? And ultimately, would I have ended up working in it? Hand on heart, I doubt it.  My job is to promote my clients and get their name, and products in front of the right people. But who is promoting our industry in the same light? We need to find ways to shrug off the old spit and sawdust image that plagues our industry and find innovative ways to showcase the amazing opportunities and career paths available to people – whatever their background or skill set.  I believe, with help from its members, The Furniture Makers’ Company can achieve this, and I want to help drive this change. 

For more information about Catherine Earle, go to csj-pr.co.uk