Six young professionals – all recognised as rising stars in the furniture and furnishings sector – have completed the prestigious Young Professionals Industry Experience (YPIE), a unique two-week tour of UK businesses organised by The Furniture Makers' Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry.
The programme is one of the organisation's flagship educational initiatives, giving a select group of professionals a comprehensive understanding of the furniture industry. Over two weeks, participants explored every stage of the supply chain, from design and manufacturing to marketing, compliance, testing, sustainability and retail.
This year's participants were:
- Charlotte Rumsey, customer experience team manager at Hypnos Beds
- Fyn Duncan, BA (Hons) Furniture: Design and Make student at Rycotewood Furniture Centre, Oxford
- Dani Mullane, quality technician at Bensons for Beds
- Violeta Marcu, account manager at Sleepeezee
- Anna Scott, production engineer at MillerKnoll
- Holly Wilkie, account manager at Source by Net
The group visited 20 companies across the UK, gaining first-hand insight into the breadth of the furniture supply chain. Businesses opened their doors to showcase best practice in design, component sourcing, manufacturing, marketing, customer service, innovation and sustainability.
Participating organisations included: Anti Copying in Design (ACID), Blum UK, Designer Contracts, Dreams, Ercol, Ergochair, the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA), the Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman, G Plan, Halstock Cabinet Makers, Hypnos, a masterclass with John Makepeace OBE, Miller Knoll, Ocee & Four Design, SATRA, Sylva Foundation, William Hands and Vita Foam.
The programme concluded with a presentation lunch, sponsored by Blum UK, at Furniture Makers' Hall in London on Wednesday 17th June, where participants shared their reflections with supporters, industry leaders and the companies that had hosted them throughout the experience.
"The Young Professionals Industry Experience programme really opened my eyes to the sheer breadth of the furniture industry," says Fyn Duncan. "As a furniture maker, I had no idea that Hypnos beds were still hand-stitched, and I hadn't appreciated the scale at which some companies operate, with Halstock creating furniture for billionaire clients.
"The contacts I made through The Furniture Makers' Company and ACID have been invaluable. I am now a freeman of the Company, as well as a member and ambassador for ACID through the Young Furniture Makers' Society, and I'll be working closely with both organisations. Meeting John Makepeace was incredibly inspiring too. He's one of Britain's most influential designer-makers and someone I've admired for a long time."
