Four new liverymen and one corporate liveryman admitted

We are delighted to announce the admission of four new liverymen and one new corporate liveryman.

The members were admitted during a ceremony held on Tuesday 7 October 2025 at Furniture Makers’ Hall, London

The new liverymen are:

Samuel Chan
Director, Channels Design Ltd
Founder, Joined + Jointed Ltd
Samuel Chan is an award-winning furniture designer and maker whose companies, Channels Design and Joined + Jointed, create and retail original furniture pieces. Channels features the exclusive designs of Samuel Chan, while Joined + Jointed showcases work by a collective of international designers alongside Samuel’s own creations.

Scott Harper
Senior lecturer, Buckinghamshire New University
Scott Harper is a senior lecturer in furniture design and sustainable product design at Buckinghamshire New University. Alongside his academic role, he tutors at Brooklands Museum and is director of Home Counties Joinery, where he designs, makes, and manages bespoke furniture and joinery projects from concept through to installation.

Emma Leeke
Retail managing director, Leekes Limited
Emma Leeke joined her family business, Leekes Limited, more than 20 years ago after completing the Marks & Spencer graduate training programme and working as a senior buyer at the company’s head office. She is now managing director of the retail business, which operates several large home department stores and employs over 450 people. Emma also serves as chairman of the Furniture Makers’ Company’s Welsh region.

Christian Notley MBE
Brand ambassador, training manager and chief expert, WorldSkills
Christian Notley MBE plays a leading role in promoting vocational education and excellence through his work with WorldSkills, an organisation that celebrates and raises the profile of skilled people worldwide. A former head of furniture studies at Chichester College, Christian now oversees national and international training programmes and competitions to inspire the next generation of skilled craftspeople.

The new corporate liveryman is:

Jason Thomas
Sales director for Workplace at KI Europe
Jason began his career in 1995 as director of MLJ (Margaret L Johnson Ltd), where he built its contract-furniture division and discovered his passion for workplace furniture. In 2009 he joined the Martin Luck Group and after steering its 2010 merger into Accord Office Supplies was appointed managing director in 2011—sharpening operational efficiency and customer-focused workspace solutions. From 2014 he led Banner Business Solutions as director & general manager (Mid-Market), uniting disparate units under one brand and on returning in 2021 refining multiple frameworks for Central Government and Wider Public Sector. Between 2016 and 2019 at Clares Office Supplies he grew the SME furniture division by 16% per annum, and at Steelcase from 2019 to 2021 he developed the UK&I higher-education vertical with a robust multi-channel strategy. Today, as sales director for Workplace at KI Europe, Jason champions sustainable programmes across the UK & Ireland. A founding member of the EVO Foundation and active business-skills mentor he looks forward to supporting the Furniture Makers’ Company’s charitable initiatives and nurturing emerging talent.

The Company warmly welcomes Samuel, Scott, Emma, Christian and Jason to the livery and congratulates them on their admission.