British furniture manufacturer Crown Imperial has announced that it has been deeply saddened by the passing of its chairman Michael Head, after a short illness on Thursday 30th September 2021.
Barry Head, Crown Imperial MD, said looking back on the pivotal role his father played in the continuing success of its third-generation family business: “Having joined the business immediately after leaving school at the age of 16, he quickly took on increasingly important roles in the company and ultimately became managing director in 1966. He oversaw the expansion of the company as a contract supplier to the Government through the 1970’s and then the overnight transition to kitchen furniture manufacture after the contract business evaporated in 1980. His vision to keep investing in production efficiency throughout the 1980’s and beyond positioned the business well to support the integration of our two distribution customers after 2009.
"Although he never officially retired, 2015 saw him ‘change his working practices’ and from this point onwards his visits to the factory were less frequent. Having only ever had one job, however, his support and interest in the performance of the business never waned. He will be greatly missed."
Darren Summerfield, KBBFocus commercial director, added: "Michael was a total one-off and a true gentleman. My wife Julie and I will miss him greatly – even to the end he was thinking of others, and I was proud to call him my friend. His passing is a massive loss to this industry."
