Twelve new freemen admitted

Twelve new freemen were welcomed to the Company during a bumper admission ceremony last night (Tuesday 12 July) at Furniture Makers’ Hall.

The 12 freemen, all representing different professions and sectors from the UK furnishing industry, declared their support to the Company, before signing the declaration and being personally welcomed by Tony Attard OBE DL, Master of The Furniture Makers’ Company.

After the ceremony, the new freemen were invited to stay for the Summer Mixer networking event, along with other members and non-members of the Company.

Commenting on the new freemen, the Master said: “We’re delighted to welcome so many new freemen to our livery company, all from very different areas of the wider furnishing industry. We’re very proud to represent such a diverse, creative and vibrant industry and our new admissions further highlight the blend of people and professions involved in this fantastic sector. I look forward to working with all our new freemen.”

Our new freemen are:

Brogan Cox, Sebastian Cox Ltd

Brogan works with her husband, Sebastian Cox, as creative director for Sebastian Cox Ltd, which makes furniture from British wood using a nature-first perspective. The company has a zero-waste, carbon-counting workshop in London and woodland managed for biodiversity in Kent.

Richard de Melim, The Furnishing Report

Richard is founder and editor of The Furniture Report, which has provided news for the furnishing industry since 2008.  Prior to this he was an editor of Cabinet Maker and Carpet Flooring Review.

Catherine Earle, CJ Public Relations

With a family background in the trade press, Catherine started her PR, marketing and adverting company for the furniture manufacturing industry in 2012 and now has an impressive list of clients.

Mark Flynn and Simon Rose, Pro Auctions Ltd

Mark and Simon are both directors of Pro Auctions Ltd, which value and auction furniture products. They work with leading brands and luxury hotels for the sale of chattels, with an emphasis of high-quality furniture.

Daniel and Michael Greenwood, Whitehall Fabrications Ltd

Whitehall Fabrications make and install bespoke worktops form solid surface materials and supply many different market segments including the kitchen industry, Home Office, hospitality and health care. Mike is the founder and owner and his son Danny is currently director of operations, having worked his way up through the different departments of the company.

Philip Hopkins, Essential Soft Furnishings Ltd

Phil is managing director of Essential Soft Furnishings, a majority owned subsidiary of Panaz Holdings Ltd, which manufactures window furniture & soft furnishings including curtains, blinds, cushions, bedthrows et al.  Phil held several roles at Panaz prior to this.

Paul Owen, Castelan Group

Paul is head of business development at Castelan, which is a corporate member. Castelan provides furniture warranties, repairs and care solutions to retailers and suppliers. Our Commercial Division also provides a re-upholstery service to the Hotel, Leisure and catering industries.

Will Plowden, The Roost

The Roost is a new UK-centric furniture platform using cutting edge technology to help with home decoration.  Will is the founder of the organisation, with a background in start-ups and a passion for interiors.

Chad Punchard, Punchline Bespoke

Chad designs and makes bespoke furniture, including kitchens, wardrobes and fitted furniture as well as items such as dining tables.

Charlie Thompson, 3CAD (Compusoft and 2020 Technologies Group)

Charlie is the national account manager UK & Ireland for this software product which is part of the Compusoft and 2020 Technologies Group. He has held various positions throughout the KBB, independent furniture and bed retail sectors.