Ian Maclean MBE | Deputy Chairman

Having grown up with the John Smedley brand as an 8th generation family shareholder, Ian chose to begin his career within finance working for 3i plc, the UK’s largest private equity provider. Following this, Ian began a 14 year advancement through niche multi-channel retailer Orvis, leading areas across buying and sales for both the US and UK. The brand saw rapid growth during the period, expanding from 4 to 27 shops, and Ian ultimately took charge of sales and marketing within the UK.

Having grown up with the John Smedley brand as an 8th generation family member, Ian joined the business as a Non-Executive Director in 2000, progressing to Chairman in 2008, and finally becoming Managing Director in 2010. In 2013, John Smedley was granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment by Her Majesty The Queen, and received a visit from Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2014.

Under Ian’s leadership the brand has consistently moved forward, not only developing its design aesthetic to attract new consumers, but also strengthening its core values as a contemporary luxury brand. Ian has led the company to increasingly profitable growth in the last few years.

He was awarded an MBE for services to the UK textile industry and the Covid-19 response in Her Majesty The Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2020. 

Ian became a Trustee of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) in May 2020 and has specific responsibility for the Charity’s finances. QEST is the UK’s premier charity supporting excellence in British craftsmanship through Scholarship funding. 

Stewart McGuffie | Treasurer

Stewart joined Allied Textiles Ltd. as Chief Executive in September 2007 from Chisty Home Textiles, where he was the Director responsible for Sales & Marketing. Previously, he had performed various international roles in Courtaulds Textiles plc, including Regional Sales & Marketing Director of the Asia Pacific fabric business, based in Hong Kong.

Stewart gained his law degree at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, before qualifying as a Chartered Management Accountant.

Adam Mansell | CEO & Company Secretary

Adam is the CEO of UKFT.

Adam joined the industry 25 years ago and has worked across a wide number of trade bodies. Having represented all aspects of the fashion and textile supply chain, Adam has links to every part of the industry, from design, fabric and component suppliers, wholesalers, brands, manufacturers and retail.

Adam leads the team at UKFT and has overseen the expansion of UKFT’s activity and membership. The organisation represents a wide range of UK fashion and textile businesses, helps hundreds of brands with their export strategy and is the government appointed Sector Skills Body for the industry. Adam has also led on the development of the manufacturing membership of the organisation. As well as running the organisation Adam focuses particularly on government relations, regularly briefing Minsters, MPs and civil servants.

Adam also represents the industry on a wide range of panels and groups. He is Chair of the Future Fashion Factory, a £5 million industry research project and a Board Member at the University of Leeds’ School of Design Industrial Advisory Board. He is Vice President of Ginetex, the international care labelling organisation. Adam is also the project lead on a £1m project working with IBM and Tech Data looking at sustainable supply chain optimisation. Adam is on the board of trustees at CAPITB Trust, an independent charity providing support and funding for “people employed or about to be employed in the British clothing industry”. He also sits on the advisory board of Textiles 2030 and the steering committee for the Institute for Positive Fashion.

Adam regularly comments on industry issues in the trade and national press.

Simon Carter | Board Member

The Simon Carter story began in 1985, Simon was studying and spent his free time pursuing his interest in vintage clothing and accessories in the stylish shops of Chelsea. His first business move came in the shape of a men’s pewter brooch which he had manufacturedand sold successfully to one of Chelsea’s most innovative jewellery stores. However, the company really found its niche when Simon developed the business to include cufflinks and watches, adding new product lines as the client list expanded.

The company continued to grow through the nineties adding in new products such as luggage and ties. Around this time Simon was crowned by the press as the ‘King of Cufflinks’ for his iconic designs such as the Aspirin cufflink. Early 2002 saw Simon Carter significantly expand the product offer to include a menswear line. PB Tailoring were granted the exclusive, worldwide rights to produce suits and shirts under the Simon Carter brand. From the start, the range proved popular with both buyers and customers alike and the collection is now stocked in leading department stores around the world.

Today, the accessories include watches, cufflinks, ties, luggage, small leather goods and men’s jewellery. The collections are carried in some of the most exclusive department stores and independent retailers in 35 countries around the world including Selfridges, Fortnum and Mason, Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser, John Lewis, Takashimaya, Bloomingdales and David Jones, as well as online.

Belinda Dickson OBE | Board Member

Belinda gained a Bachelor of Education degree and began her career as a physical education teacher before going into marketing with a telecommunications company. It was whilst working in the Scottish Borders that she developed an interest in the cashmere knitwear industry, which at that time was still steeped in classic design and traditional production methods. Belinda recognised the potential of cashmere as a fashionable luxury item and, encouraged by a manufacturer Belinda designed her first collection.

Before starting her own label, Belinda worked with internationally famous labels including Nina Ricci, Michael Kors and Dior. Belinda Robertson Ltd. was established in 1992 and came to be defined by modern, flattering cashmere garments.

Over the years her efforts have been rewarded by a number of accolades including Scottish Business Woman of the Year (1999), Entrepreneur of the Year (2000), OBE for services to the textile industry (December 2001) and Designer of the Year (Scottish Style Awards 2002).

Professor Parikshit Goswami | Director of Technical Textiles Research Centre

Professor Parikshit Goswami is Director of Technical Textiles Research Centre and the Head of Department of Fashion and Textiles at the University of Huddersfield.

Professor Goswami’s areas of research are product development using flexible materials and application of chemistry for functionalising textiles. Professor Goswami manages a large portfolio of research concerned with fibre/polymer science, nonwovens, medical textiles, sustainable materials, nano and submicron fibres, and plasma treatments for functionalising textiles. He is a member of Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC), Education, Qualifications and Accreditation Board (EQAB), and is a Trustee of SDC.

Prior to joining the University of Huddersfield, Professor Goswami was the Director of Research and Innovation at the School of Design, University of Leeds and he led the Fibre and Fabric Functionalisation Research Group.

Patrick Dudley-Williams | Board Member

Patrick Dudley-Williams is the creative director and founder of UK menswear brand, Reef Knots. Patrick started the business in 2013 after a 13 year career in the stock market at Citigroup and Morgan Stanley. Reef Knots’ core product are handmade printed silk ties inspired by the ocean and the summer. They are designed to remind the customer of life far away from the corporate grind. The brand has now spread into a wider range of menswear (most notably swim shorts and shirts) and has one store in the City of London, supporting the online business.

Patrick is also Chairman of UKFT Rise, supporting fashion startups with informational and networking events across the year.

Alan Williams | Board Member

Alan is responsible for the leadership, strategic direction and executive management of global textile design and manufacturing company Camira Group. He gained a Masters degree in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Newcastle University, before beginning his professional career as a Process Engineer at the global electronics company Philips. He then moved to construction materials company, Owens Corning, to become Operations Leader, before joining Camira’s predecessor Interface Fabrics in 2004. Quickly promoted to the position of Operations Director, Alan joined the main board in 2005 and was part of the team which completed the management buyout from Interface to set up Camira in 2006.

For the past two decades he has been responsible for establishing Camira as a centre of manufacturing excellence, a leader in textile sustainability, and the name behind fabrics which are used by millions of people every day, on busy public transport and in a wide range of commercial interior settings. He has been instrumental in several company acquisitions to extend Camira’s vertical manufacturing capabilities, develop new technologies, and enter new markets and geographies. He became COO in 2020 and CEO in 2021.