David Whitworth steps down as DHF Chairman

David Whitworth has decided to step down from his position as Chairman of the DHF Board.  David has been Chairman or acting Chairman since 2007 and has played a major role in guiding DHF through its significant development programme over the last 10 years. 

David has also been Chairman of the DHF Building Hardware Group for many years. His knowledge of building hardware is unparalleled having started in the family architectural ironmongery business, Laidlaw & Thomson, in 1955. He has also been chairman of the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers and President of ARGE, which is the trade  association representing lock and hardware manufacturers throughout Europe. David continues to be active in the building hardware industry primarily through his ownership of Access 2, a company specialising in security cylinders.

DHF is sure that you will join us in thanking David for his immense contribution to DHF and the building hardware industry in general. David has agreed to remain a director on the DHF Board. 

We are also delighted to announce that Paul Browne has agreed to become the new DHF Chairman. Paul joined the Lucas Graduate scheme in the late 70s after leaving Aston University with a Business Studies degree. He worked for 17 years at Creda, the UK’s leading manufacturer of white goods, mainly in marketing roles and, finally, as General Manager of the Contracts Division. After 2 years in the construction industry, where he gained an invaluable insight into the need for change, he joined ASSA ABLOY UK as Marketing Director. There followed a number of roles – from General Manager of the Residential Division, moving to senior Board roles over the 21 years at ASSA ABLOY UK.

Paul has been involved with DHF since 2006, when the issue of cylinder snapping illustrated the importance of constantly driving product performance standards to meet the changing needs of end-users. He has been on the DHF Board since 2007. In 2011, he joined the Board of the European Hardware Association – ARGE - and has been active in both European and UK standards development over the nine years that followed.  He sees the power of driving standards for the benefit of end users, DHF members and the industry overall and sees huge opportunities that can be unlocked from the UK post-Brexit standardisation landscape and the need to change building regulations following the Grenfell disaster. Through making DHF the foremost  industry authority,  Paul believes that DHF can lead the drive for change and improvement – creating opportunities and commercial benefit for its members.

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