Expert Details

Furniture, Seating, Carpets, Flooring, Domestic and Contract

ID: 725891 United Kingdom

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Expert works in close liaison with clients and appointed professionals from survey to completion. He and his company have a reliability record in place spanning over 40 years. His projects range from a single item to meet a specific task to company relocation and furnishing of a complete property.

Working with Expert, you will receive an personalised service of unbiased specialist expertise, promoting the long term continuity and service benefits, the real value of procurement from within The British furniture industry. In particular makers who have voluntarily submitted their products for independent testing to British Standards Certification, ensuring your full compliance with Health and Safety. He works in close co-operation with FIRA (The Furniture Industry Research Association) also BCTC (British Carpet Technical Centre).

Expert provides expert guidance across product selection - styles, finishes, upholstery materials, carpets,flooring curtains blinds, decoration and lighting, along with other important issues like cable management achieving long term flexibility of the installation handling team changes without turmoil matching business growth. He takes pride in effective project management and reporting to result in timely hand over.

A unique and highly specialised service of furniture consultancy serves clients drawn from across the professional sector including, architects, interior designers, lawyers, accountants, banking, companies, SME to FTSE 100, Institutions and private clients throughout the UK.

He worked with the chairman of a national fashion retailer, wishing to refurbish offices in London W1, the preference was English 18th century style, I worked with the chairman and individually with other main board directors, I listened attentively to their thinking, I returned a few days later with a range of optional alternatives all properly costed, He was responsible for working in close liasion with architects, other contractors and taking overall responsibility for sourcing items ranging from custome carpets, English replica furniture and upholstery, lighting and all accessories. With responsibilty for completion on time and providing supervision of the installation on a day to day basis. The project was completed to the dleight of all concerned. He went on with the same client to source and install English 18th & 19th century antique original pieces to the chairmans home, as he did for other directors, supply and install bespoke made props for 79 stores across the UK.
Then to the design specification of offices for the Shop Development division of the company and to work in conjunction with members of the retail; mamangement across the UK in the design and development of a wide range of bepsoke and cutosm items. Recommended to several clients and new projects. Recoommended by Client example (1) A USA bank in Princes Street.Bank London.Wishing to receive recommendation for companies able to make and install boardroom, several conference rooms, Vice President office. He suggested three companies two English, one a client of the bank based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. With a showroom in London. After due consideration the bank decided to place the buisness with their client company. He was responsible for placing and controlling all aspects of the project including the installation on a Saturday in the heart of the City of London being the only day the Metroplitan Police would permit the time required to offload and install the project . The USA maker was chosen along other UK makers of custom furniture were involved along with decorative lighting, carpets and curtains. Swedish company entered UK for the first time, He was recommended by previous client. Commencing with a team of nine telecoms specialists and engineers. Office facilities were required, within a few weeks the company had found a suitable HQ property in the county of Surrey, He presented a three option package from which client selected, The package included 12 manufactueres all making different elements: desks-storage- task chairs- guest chairs- screens- upgraded manager office furniture upgraded director furniture- boardroom furniture- restaurant furniture- reception furniture. Upholstery fabric of proven high performance were organised these were specials desigend and colour to tie in with corporate ID of client company.His recommendatiuons were based manufacturers holding a proven track record through long standing associations, known to be of consitent qulaity, continuity of supply undertakings were provided for minimum of 10years. He arranged the manufacture supply and installation of furniture to sites throughout the UK in quanitteis as required and often at short notice, a maximum 4 week turn round of oreders was achieved consistentantly and under his total superviosn of the projects.A London Town Hall, he was invited to view this splendid building in the style of English 17th century. He was shown a beatifully oak panelled room, the furniture was to be replaced. His response was to say" under no circumsatnces will they attempt to match the pannelling as due to mother nature this had so many years of natural mellowing. They would complement the pannelling with the new furniture. He was told that as a London Borough they must as not less than three firms to submit propsals and pricing, they understood this was standard practice. They submitted their proposals based on English 18th Century replica designs of the finest quality. following around three weeks a call came in to say "they have invited four companies to submit their recommendations you are by far the most expensive but they want you to do the job, your recommendations are outstandingly the most appropriate to their property and to the long term benefit of their people.
They knew the staff at the Town Hall were as facinated by the project as they were. He arranged to take digital images of the project on a two weekly basis and mailed the images to the notable pleasure of all concerned. They were contacted by a national firm of accountants, who invited him to visit one of their offices, they had expl;ained that theey had several issues with thier current suppliers. He asked "how many consulatnts have you asked to do this? client responded that two had been invited. He arrived by appointment it was explained that they would tour the building room by room, he agreed to offer professional comment room by room. On completion and return to reception, the client property officer said" At this point I can tell you the other firm has been excluded, you have identified all their issues plus several that they were not aware of. Over the last 6 months they have supplied several items to sites across the UK including recommending and sampling a cahir for a less able memebr of theclient team. This had been a problem that had taken months of sorting, one conversation with him and a sample was delivered to the staff member who treid the chair for seven days, the chair was duly delivered. A further issue was upholstery fabric where the maker had discontinued the corporate colour, he had in his initial report explained that the fabric in use was not of a suitable performance, this has now been sourced at an upgraded specification in the corporate colour with 10 years reliable contiuity in place, matter resolved.

Education

Year Degree Subject Institution
Year: 1987 Degree: F inst D Subject: Business Institution: Institution of Directors
Year: 1980 Degree: MBA Subject: Marketing Institution: Furniture Industry Research Association

Work History

Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1982 to Present Employer: Undisclosed Title: Partner Department:
Responsibilities:
He takes the lead role in listening to and assessing wide aspect enquiries covering the furniture and furnishings industry. He provides clients from private householders, business customers to large corporate and local authrities with the benefit of his knowledge gained in the indusdtry over 44 years.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1978 to 1982 Employer: Plumb Contracts Ltd Title: Commercial Manager Department: Furniture & Furnishings Division
Responsibilities:
He was responsible for the manufacturing of a new range of office furniture, taking the products through to full compliance British Standards testing. Working with a network of dealerships and working along side dealers and with leading clients across the UK. Also exporting the product to projects in Europe and Middle East nations.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1968 to 1978 Employer: Waring & Gillow ( London ) Ltd Title: General Manager Department:
Responsibilities:
He was working with the 300 year old firm who in 1727 had nine Dukes on their books. Waring & Gillow were reknowned for high quality furniture and furnishings to the high end residential market. Working principally with old established cabinet makers and uphoplsterers. He lead a team who assisted end users in proper selection of furniture to meet a wide scope of requirements. Many clients were among the British wealthy and included many clients from all parts of the world with homes in London, also providing an export service. Al;so included contract projects.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1964 to 1968 Employer: Sam Robbins Ltd Title: Assistant General Manager Department: Furniture
Responsibilities:
He was responsible for all aspects of advising clients on suitable products in terms of design and performance reliability.

International Experience

Years Country / Region Summary
Years: 1981 to Present Country / Region: Sultanate of Oman Summary: A complete large residence of fine quality furniture of USA and UK manufacture. Client along with architect was driven to showrooms across the south of England over just 3 days, client was guided in the selection of all elements from carpets to furniture, wall fabrics and silks, upholstery, bedding and linens curtians and blinds to gaden and pool side furniture. The whole package was a packaged shipped to Muscat loaded on to transport and installed. As a result he was recommended to Sultan for a project for his childrens rooms, also the The Ministry of Agriculatuyre where he was responsible for all the office furniture and furnishing
Years: 1981 to Present Country / Region: Suadi Arabia Summary: Holiday Inn Hotel: he was resposible for the furniture and furnishings
Years: 1981 to Present Country / Region: Netherlands Summary: Holiday Inn Eindhoven: he was resposible for the furniture and furnishings
Years: 1967 to Present Country / Region: Christmas Island Summary: He advised on sourced and sorted a Danish range of furniture to be packaged and shipped to the home of a scientist and his family on Christams Island.
Years: 1998 to Present Country / Region: Heidleberg Mannhiem Germany Summary: He advised an architect and her family in matters of English 18th century furniturearranged the making of, delivery and installation which he personally attended.

Additional Experience

Expert Witness Experience
He provides a day to day industry expert consultancey service in matters concerning selection, specifcation, and suitanility to meet client performance expectations of furniture,design, material selection, specification and construction, finishes. Carpets assessment of project, specification of construction suitable fibres and performance to fit the purpose. Attending client sites in order to provide expert third party independant assessment of the failure or cause for concern over the perfomance of furniture seating, carpets and flooring. At this time he has given evidence only at arbitration level,taking the successful view that parties should settle their disputes out of court.
Training / Seminars
He has provided on site training to sales teams on many occasions over many years.
Vendor Selection
In all matters sourcing they have considerable experience in locating manufactuers with speicialist skills always accompanied by proven track record of relibiality to perform on quality issues, subject to their inspection, reliability to provide proper and responsive service inb aspects of customer service, meeting budget and time frame issues.
Marketing Experience
Their day to day activities are performed in repsonding to the requiremnts of clients in all aspects of industry, commerce banking, legal and financial markets. They source their clients directly and respond properly and in a timely fashion to clients enquires resulting from their website activity.
Other Relevant Experience
They provide a complete service in all aspects of the interior of buildings through their depth of industry knowledge using their indutry research associations they have access to information in order to assist their clients in addressing a wide range of issues. They seek to develope a highly personalised relaitonship with their clients over the long term they provide only the most proper and professional service.

Language Skills

Language Proficiency
French He speaks a little, but we have multi lingual translation service on hand.

Fields of Expertise

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