New liveryman and corporate liverymen admitted

We are delighted to welcome a new liveryman and nine new corporate liverymen to The Furniture Makers’ Company.

The members were admitted during a ceremony at our December Court meeting on 5 December at Furniture Makers Hall, London.

The members were personally welcomed by Amanda Waring, Master of The Furniture Makers’ Company, and then invited to join the Court of Assistants and guests for a lunch at the hall.

The new corporate liverymen represent corporate members Alltruck, Danesmoor Group, Miller Knoll, Parker Knoll and Sleepeezee.

Related news Eight liverymen and corporate admissions at October Court meeting – The Furniture Makers’ Company Welcome to our new liverymen and corporate liverymen – The Furniture Makers’ Company

Our new liveryman is:

Gregg Wooding, owner and managing director of Spencewood Interiors

Spencewood makes fixed and loose furniture for the commercial sector, including the hotel and leisure industry. Products include chairs, sofas and seating arrangements, receptions and bars. Gregg trained as an upholsterer and was previously a workshop manager for a domestic upholstery company.

The new corporate liverymen are:

Paul Robinson, managing director at Alltruck Plc

Alltruck Hire Limited was founded in 1990. There were no trucks, no workshop and no customers, but there was a team which included Paul Robinson. The next three years were spent getting Alltruck off the ground. The great reputation followed and Alltruck plc have had the pleasure of great relationships that have lasted over 30 years. Paul will be transitioning to chairman of Alltruck plc and handing over the ‘MD reigns’ to his son Josh Robinson. Paul has spent his life building the great company that is Alltruck and is happy it will be in very capable hands. Based in the Midlands, Paul is very passionate about the company and more importantly, the people that help build it. Alltruck is a specialist in building relationships, we also happen to contract hire and rent trucks. By building long standing and meaningful relationships with people, we understand how to best support their business needs. Without understanding someone, it is impossible to help.

Josh Robinson, sales director at Alltruck Plc

Josh is a current board member of Alltruck plc, set to assume the role of managing director in January 2024. Alltruck has seen considerable growth over the past three years, achieved through substantial growth in its contract hire fleet whilst entering new market sectors such as ambulance rental in both the private and public sectors. Josh is passionate about leading Alltruck’s continued growth underpinned by further integrating green technology into both Alltruck and collaborating with clients to improve environmental efficiencies within their transportation operations. Alltruck plc is also an Investors In People Platinum Accredited organisation, which has been achieved through its passion for people development driven by creating an environment where people can flourish.

Peter Bosi, business development manager at Alltruck Plc

Peter has worked in various roles within the commercial vehicle industry sector, both within a sales team and management positions both national and regional over the last 40 years giving him a vast wealth of experience within the industry. A highly successful senior business development manager at Alltruck plc with a strong track record in commercial roles in the growth & revenue of vehicle rental and contract hire of vans and trucks. A proven track record in creating vehicle solutions to meet customers vehicle requirement within many market sectors such as local authority, distribution, hospitality & niche market sectors. Peter is still passionate about providing vehicle solutions and enjoys the challenge of the variation and sometimes complex of customer requirements

David Miller, commercial director at Sleepeezee

David has been the commercial director at Sleepeezee for three years, looking after the sales and marketing functions spanning UK retail, hospitality and export. Prior to joining the Rochester bedmaker,  he worked in Qatar for five years at Galeries Lafayette, a French luxury department store group where he held the position of general manager. Sleepeezee is one of the UK’s leading bed brands.

Dave Morris, purchasing director at Sleepeezee

Dave first started at Sleepeezee in 1982 as a factory apprentice and after a short sabbatical rejoined the company in 1991. He has worked in numerous operational departments including production, purchasing, quality assurance and distribution. I now head up the purchasing and product development functions as purchasing director.

Paul Berryman, head of sustainability at Danesmoor Group

Paul has worked in in the KBB industry for 31 years, firstly in manufacturing for 17 years learning many roles such as product technical design before joining B&Q initially as a KBB designer, before relocating from his home county of Cornwall to Hampshire to become the bathroom sanitaryware and bathroom furniture buyer for B&Q. He then progressed to group strategic sourcing lead for bathroom Furniture for B&Q’s parent company Kingfisher, before joining the Danesmoor Group in June 2016. Paul initially managed the John Lewis and Next accounts at Danesmoor before being heavily involved in the launch of the Danesmoor Groups Life Kitchens for Living launch at their flagship showroom in Waterloo. The continuing growth of the Danesmoor Group has seen Paul lend his valuable manufacturing experience in creating catalogue data for software platforms to enhance the customer journey, alongside his other role as Head of Sustainability where he completed the Oxford University ‘Leading Sustainable Corporations Programme’ in 2022. Based in Richmond North Yorkshire, Paul is still passionate about furniture manufacturing and the customer experience.

Lizzie Beesley, head of marketing & product proposition at Danesmoor Group

Lizzie began her career in product consultancy, before transitioning into furniture. She has worked in the KBB industry for 23 years. She began her career as a junior designer at MFI, and over her six years there, progressed to head of design. She joined the Danesmoor Group in 2007 to work across the business, managing the internal product portfolio and supporting external customers. She specialised in consumer behaviour, market research, product development and product marketing. Her role covered a range of market sectors and clients including Howdens, Wickes, John Lewis, B&Q, Mama & Papas, Next, Post Office and Virgin. In 2021 Lizzie took up the role of head of design at Magnet. Her focus was to re-establish Magnet in the market and re-engage the customer, by evolving the product portfolio, imagery & literature and redeveloped the retail store format. In 2023 she rejoined The Danesmoor Group as head of marketing & product proposition to support the business, in a fast-paced changing sector. Based in York North Yorkshire, Lizzie is still passionate about product and effective marketing.

Tom White, design director at Parker Knoll and Collins & Hayes

Tom has worked in the furniture industry for the past 30 years, having joined Christie-Tyler as an assistant designer after graduating from university in 1993. Since then, heading up design teams in several Christie-Tyler and latterly Sofa Brands International companies, he has built up a large portfolio of designs, from classic sofa shapes through to full-motion power recliners. In 2012, Tom joined the team at Parker Knoll, becoming Design Director in 2015. Leading the brand’s design strategy, his aim has been to grow the brand through innovation, broadening its relevance and appeal whilst staying true to Parker Knoll’s core principles of quality, comfort and heritage. A significant and proud moment in his career was celebrating Parker Knoll’s 150th anniversary, which saw the creation of a brand new sofa and fabric collection inspired by the extensive Frederick Parker and Parker Knoll Archive housed at the London Metropolitan University. Based in Nottinghamshire, Tom remains incredibly passionate about the world of furniture design.

Lora Velkova, international HR manager at Miller Knoll

Lora boasts over 14 years of experience in Human Resources across various global settings. Commencing her journey as a volunteer and administrator, she has navigated a progressive career path to becoming an international manager. Her expertise spans multiple industries, encompassing rail, investment banks, telecommunications, pension and employee benefits, culminating in her current role in furniture and design at Colebrook Bosson Saunders. Noteworthy companies in her career include BT, Network Rail, and the Macquarie Bank. With a Master’s Degree in International Politics and Human Rights, Lora infuses her professional endeavors in HR with a passion for these fields. She channels this enthusiasm into various initiatives, including mentoring programs, fostering diversity and inclusion, and collaborating with numerous charities to bolster the local community and beyond.