Members admitted at March Court meeting

We are delighted to welcome John Conroy as a new liveryman and Kate Wright as new corporate liveryman to The Furniture Makers’ Company.

John and Kate were admitted at the March court meeting at Furniture Makers’ Hall on 14 March 2023.

The members were personally welcomed by Tony Attard OBE DL, Master of The Furniture Makers’ Company, and then invited to join the Court of Assistants and guests for a formal dinner at the hall.

John Conroy, strategic relationships manager, Novuna

Novuna provides retail finance for many furniture companies including Furniture Village, DFS and NCF.  John has extensive previous sales experience in furnishings companies such as Zoy Furniture, Bill Beaumont Textiles and Mobus Furniture.  Living in County Durham, John has agreed to take on the role of chairman of the North East Region.

Kate Wright, Sustainability Director, DFS Furniture plc.

Kate has worked in consumer and retail sector for over 20 years, first as a designer, working for fashion brands as well as for editorial publications including VOGUE and Australian Style magazine, before moving into the homeware and furniture sector. Upon moving to the UK, she worked as a Creative Director for brands such as John Lewis, Harrods, notonthehighstreet and Dunelm as well as projects for the BBC. While working for Sofa Workshop, Kate competed an MBA focused on sustainability and moved to a group role within DFS to develop and lead their sustainability team and strategy. She is currently a member of our Sustainability Committee. Based in London, Kate is still passionate about design and sustainable craftsmanship.