New chair for British Furniture Confederation

Tony Attard, OBE, DL, founder and chairman of the Panaz Group,has been appointed as the new chairman of the British Furniture Confederation (BFC), succeeding Jonathan Hindle after 10 years in the hot seat.

The BFC was set up in 2006 by the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers Company (WCFM) to be the voice of the industry to government. Since its formation, its chairs have traditionally been Past Masters of the WCFM– Tony was Master in 2022-3 and President of the Furnishing Industry Benevolent Association (FTBA) prior to its merger with the FMC in 2012.

Tony began his career winning a Courtaulds Scholarship to read for a BSc Hons degree in design management from Manchester University. In 1985, he founded Burnley-based Panaz, which manufactures flame retardant fabrics for the worldwide hospitality, leisure, cruise ship, healthcare and corporate sectors. Formed in 1986, the company today exports to over 60 countries, operating worldwide through subsidiary companies in Europe and the USA and a global network of distributors.

He is also currently a member of the Manchester University Department of Material Science Industrial Advisory Group; a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, an Associate of the Institute of Textiles and Fellow of the University of Lancashire.  Tony has also received an Outstanding Alumnus award from Manchester University, while other accolades have come from the Design Council and the DIT in recognition of his contribution to the Design industry worldwide.

Tony Attard was chair of Marketing Lancashire 2015 -2022 , a co-opted board member of the Lancashire Enterprise partnership; a past IoD North West Director of the Year and former Chair for IoD North West region 2010-2015. Tony was made an OBE by Her Majesty the late Queen in the 2010 New Year’s honours; and a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire in 2016. Tony was proud to serve Lancashire as its High Sheriff from 2018-2019.

Handing over the reins to Tony, Jonathan Hindle said: “It has been a great pleasure and very rewarding to chair the BFC. The Confederation is a unified and determined team with a common purpose. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the chief executives of the trade associations of our broad industry, who have forged a good common understanding. Together, we have worked hard to raise the profile of our very significant sector – which contributes c.£40 billion to the UK economy and provides employment to c. 250,000 people. I wish Tony huge success as he takes over the challenge.” 

Tony said: “I am honoured to be taking on the role of chairman of the BFC from Jonathan, who has done such a great job championing our industry in government circles over the past decade.  There is much to do, as we grapple with a host of business challenges, both at home and abroad. If business is to survive and thrive, we need government to listen and respond to our concerns. I plan to add the weight of our £40 billion industry to that of other prominent industrial groups in order to promote a pro-business economy that will drive prosperity for our sector.”