Global textile manufacturer Camira Group, who has a strong presence in North America, with a key office in Grand Rapids, Michigan and a showroom in Chicago, has announced the appointment of Alan Williams as CEO as the company prepares for the next stage of its future growth and strategic development on a global scale.
Alan moves into the top job following a 17-year career at Camira which saw him become a key part of the Management Buy-Out team back in 2006 to set the company up as an independent business, expanding its manufacturing and vertical supply capabilities, supplying both the commercial interiors and mass passenger transport markets. He has also been actively involved in numerous acquisitions, most recently taking ownership of Holmfirth Dyers and the North American fabric brand Luna Textiles. The other Board members are Anthony Croall, Commercial Director, Lucy Bolton, Finance Director, and Paul Barnard, who now steps back into the role of Chairman from Interim CEO and will continue to advise on strategic development and implementation across Group operations and commercial activities.
Camira Group is a recognized global brand in its chosen markets, designing and manufacturing around 8 million yards of fabric a year, and is known for its innovative environmental textiles, pioneering natural materials such as nettles, hemp and flax, and launching recycled polyester fabrics made from PET bottles and ocean waste plastic. The company’s wool moquettes have been used for decades on London Underground thanks to their iconic designs and high technical performance.
Alan Williams made the following comment about his appointment: “It is a real privilege to be leading Camira as CEO into the next phase of our corporate journey and strategic development. What continues to drive me is a passion for the textiles and interiors industries, designing and manufacturing new products which inspire our markets, providing our customers with the best possible service offering and making sure we keep sustainability at the centre of our thinking and actions. We have an amazing team of people, and we are all part of a fantastic company which will continue to grow, move forward and prosper.”
About Camira:
Camira are makers, designers and manufacturers of textiles, developing fabrics for the contract sector – including offices and schools, hotels, retail and hospitals – as well as for passenger transport on bus, coach and rail.
Camira is a privately-owned UK textile group founded in 1974 under the name Camborne Fabrics, but its heritage goes back to 1783 through various acquisitions. Until a management buy-out in 2006, the company was a subsidiary of Interface, an international manufacturer of textile modular floor coverings, for almost ten years. Today, Camira produces more than eight million yards of textiles annually and markets them in over 80 countries.
Headquartered in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England. The company has manufacturing facilities in the UK and Lithuania, offices and showrooms in Europe, North America, Australia and China and a global network of account managers and specialist dealers.
Camira has received numerous awards to date. The company has won five prestigious Queen’s Awards, including the Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development for the second time in 2015 and for International Trade in 2016.
The company has always been a pioneer of innovation when it comes to a sustainable understanding of textiles and has been producing recycled fabrics for 20 years, as well as a number of ranges using natural wool and bast fibers, such as nettle, hemp and flax.