Record number of liverymen admitted

A record nine liverymen were admitted along with three new corporate liverymen and one corporate freeman to The Furniture Makers’ Company in March.

The members were admitted during a ceremony at our March Court meeting on 3 March at Furniture Makers Hall, London.

The members were personally welcomed by Brian Ahern, Master of The Furniture Makers’ Company, and then invited to join the Court of Assistants and guests for a black-tie dinner at the hall.

The new liverymen are:

Richard Boyce, teacher at St Albans High School for Girls

Richard is a design and technology teacher to key stage 3, 4 and 5 students, teaching and encouraging them how to design and manufacture high quality products.  He also develops external links between schools and design companies. Richard was admitted as a freeman in 2023.

Levent Caglar, senior ergonomist & head of consultancy at FIRA International Ltd

Levent has been practising ergonomics for over 35 years. He currently leads a team of furniture consultants and ergonomists providing research and consultancy service to all the sectors of furniture industry, specifically for designers, manufacturers, architects, facility managers and furniture users (clients in financial sectors, government departments etc). Levent was admitted as a feeman in 2017.

Ben Caton, managing director at Ergochair Ltd

Ergochair is the market leader in ergonomic seating for people with postural problems. Ben has been a corporate freeman since 2023 and is now handing over this role to his colleague Limun Wells.

Katie Furmston, head of design and research – carbon efficiency rating at Design Conformity

As well as working for Design Conformity, which works with retailers, brands, manufacturers and suppliers to introduce clear guidance to improve safety and reduce the carbon impact of fixtures and furniture in commercial store interiors, Katie is also studying for a PhD  “Making Fast Furniture More Sustainable” at Nottingham Trent University. Katie was admitted as a freeman in 2023.

Simon Green, managing director at CPS

Based in Wales, CPS is one of the UK’s largest supplier of specialised printing for the upholstery, mattress and flooring industry. Simon is on the National Bed Federation board and was admitted as a freeman in 2012.

Paul James, sales director at One Call Furniture

One Call Furniture manufactures cabinet furniture and Paul has been director since 2016, having previously been MD of Ruddiman Furniture and Origin Red.  He is also currently a director of the British Furniture Association.  Paul was admitted as a freeman in 2024.

Ian Peers, operations director at Ercol Furniture

Ian has worked at ercol furniture, which designs and manufactures furniture for living, dining and bedrooms, for 19 years, the last 15 years as the operations director.  Ian was admitted as a freeman in 2018.

Phil Spademan, managing director at the British Furniture Association

The BFA is a trade association which has represented the furniture industry since 1947.  It supports British furniture suppliers, manufacturers and retailers across the whole market, fostering collaborations, driving growth and promoting a sustainable furniture industry. Prior to his current job, Phil previously worked for Ercol, Siren Furniture and Nielsen Design.Phil was admitted as a freeman in 2024

Gina Thomson, commercial director at George Stewart Design

George Stewart Design designs and manufactures all upholstered furniture including beds, as well as supplying interior designers with bespoke items.  Gina is currently commercial director, having had a long career in the furnishings industry. Gina was admitted as a freeman in 2023

The new corporates are:

Mark Cort, group commercial director at Hypnos

Mark graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University in 1996 with a BA in Business Studies. He began his career training as a chartered accountant before joining the family retail bed business, Sleepmasters, at 23. Mark held various roles at Sleepmasters and later Bensons for Beds, becoming commercial director in 2015. In 2020, he became managing director of Jay-Be. This year, Mark joined Hypnos Beds as group commercial director, bringing decades of industry experience to the role.

Danny Blackmore, operations director at Silentnight

Danny has have worked in the furniture and bedding industry for more than 30 years, across a variety of roles, covering direct operations, technical services, change management and new product development. He has gained valuable experience across general management, value creation, ERP implementation, business intelligence/insight and working on mergers and acquisitions. He took up the position of operations director at Silentnight Beds 18 months ago and is really enjoying the role and feels fortunate to work with such a strong, committed and capable team.

Hayley Hodgson, NPI manager at Silentnight

Hayley has worked in the furniture and bedding industry for more than 13 years. Her roles have included costing, project management, new product development and new product introduction. She took up the position of NPI manager at Silentnight Beds approximately two years ago and is really enjoying the role. Within the team we cover all projects from concept to implementation which never sees two days the same. Within this role she has been exposed to all areas of the business both internally and externally from suppliers, customers to all functional areas within the business.

Limun Wells, senior sales strategist at Ergochair

Limun has 17 years of experience within workplace furniture sales, working with a diverse range of manufacturers including Gresham and Senator. She has developed an in-depth understanding of the ever-evolving trends and designs that make up the modern working environment. This has enabled her to work on some high-profile projects over the years. Currently at Ergochair, she is enjoying helping the population sit comfortably through proper ergonomics.

For more information about membership, click here.