Tristine Hargreaves
The NBF
Fara Butt
President
Shire Bed Company
Mike Holmes
Treasurer
John Cotton Group
Matt Richardson
Vice President – Manufacturers
Dreams Manufacturing
Simon Green
Vice President – Suppliers
CPS (Wales)
My journey into the bed industry is somewhat unconventional. I began my career in teaching before joining the family business, Shire Beds, a second-generation manufacturer established in 1997, in 2004. Since then, I have played a key role in its transformation and growth, helping to shape the business into what it is today.
I am particularly interested in the transition towards Industry 4.0, including digitisation and future-proofing a traditional manufacturing sector, alongside driving meaningful and sustainable product innovation.
I bring a strong combination of hands-on manufacturing experience and strategic leadership, shaped by my long-standing involvement with the NBF and a deep understanding of the industry’s challenges and opportunities. I am passionate about championing our sector, raising its visibility, and ensuring it is recognised as a vital, innovative and forward-looking industry that continues to attract talent and investment.
I began my career within my family’s group of businesses before joining Leggett & Platt in 2005 following the acquisition of their innerspring manufacturing operation in South Africa. Over the next 12 years, I served as Managing Director of L&P Springs South Africa.
In 2017, I relocated to the UK to take up the role of Managing Director of L&P Springs UK, where I continued to drive business performance and innovation.
In 2024, I transitioned into the textile sector and was appointed Managing Director of the John Cotton Nonwovens Division in West Yorkshire. In this role, I lead one of the industry’s most established and respected manufacturing operations.
Throughout my career, I have developed extensive expertise in mattress components, manufacturing equipment, and production processes. I am also a strong advocate for sustainability, with a particular interest in recycling, resource efficiency, and the circular economy.
Bringing a global perspective to the industry, I offer valuable insight drawn from international bedding markets and industry contacts. I am actively involved in industry leadership and governance and, in June 2024, was appointed Non-Executive Director and Treasurer of the NBF. In this capacity, I bring my commercial acumen, strategic thinking, and industry knowledge to support the long-term growth and advancement of the bedding sector.
My journey in bedding started 23 years ago at Myers in Huntingdon. I started in divan upholstery and made my way through the management structure. The Myers site ended up becoming Bensons for Beds Manufacturing. Now I work for Dreams as their Production Director at their manufacturing site in Oldbury in the West Midlands.
Manufacturing, it’s plain and simple for me, it is in the blood. It is all I have ever known and I love all the challenges and fun it brings. I also enjoy people development and building strong, lasting relationships.
In my position as VP for manufacturing, I hope to be a support for our President and represent everything that is manufacturing and help build that bridge between our membership and council team.
We started supplying the industry with mattress labels nearly 20 years ago and grew our market share after the purchase of Nelson labels. We have since expanded our product range to support the marketing departments with POS and related items.
We now offer a full 360 degree to manufacturers and retailers alike for all their printing requirements
Supporting the “Great British” manufacturing industry.
I’m here to promote and give a voice to the component suppliers. Highlighting the innovation and products they bring to the market and how they can integrate and work within the NBF membership.
We all need each other!
Starting my bedding career 43 years ago at the John Cotton Group in the Home Textiles Division, I have spent the last 30 years driving commercial strategy within the Nonwovens Division.
As sales and marketing director, I merge decades of technical component expertise with a deep personal passion for material reusing and recycling.
Innovating and designing mattress fillings to help ensure everyone can enjoy the most comfortable mattress and a great night’s sleep!
Circular eco-design that helps future generations reuse filling materials.
I specialise in bringing eco-conscious product innovations to the forefront of the market.
My goal is to champion the National Bed Federation’s green initiatives, ensuring our industry leads the way in circular innovation.
I am currently the Operations Director at Silentnight Beds, where I have worked for 33 years. During this time, I have held numerous operational and technical roles across the business, building extensive experience in manufacturing, business change, and systems implementation.
My background includes change management, New Product Development (NPD), and New Product Introduction (NPI), as well as leading multiple ERP implementation projects across the Group to support operational efficiency and business transformation.
(I actually started as a part-time cleaner while I was at college!)
I thoroughly enjoy all aspects of change management, and I have enjoyed playing a part in making the business what it is today. I am interested in compliance, sustainability, product management, systems and software development and integration. I am interested in driving improvement and treat every situation as a learning opportunity.
I have an extensive level of experience in the bedding industry, being closely involved with suppliers, compliance, products, wider operations, systems and change initiatives throughout my career. I hope I will bring a level of honesty and simplicity to what are often seen as complex or frustrating topics in the industry.
I joined Silentnight in December 2011 as Marketing Director, having previously worked in the fitted kitchen sector. I joined Harrison Spinks in April 2019, initially as Group Marketing Director, before taking on the role of Managing Director in July 2019. I am incredibly proud to lead this amazing, employee-owned business.
The passion for making beds the right way, using the finest natural and sustainable ingredients, is what drives all of us at Harrison Spinks. The vertically integrated and ‘home-grown’ nature of our business means we can do things differently by developing quality products that are in the best interests of the environment and our customers, while ultimately giving consumers the best possible night’s sleep.
Being part of a like-minded team and using my broad experience to help give the NBF a clear purpose, while ensuring it acts in the best interests of its members.
With a background in Engineering, I worked across several product-based industries in technical and commercial roles before spending 20 years with a Swiss kitchen products manufacturer in general management roles. I joined Sealy in May 2024 as UK General Manager.
Improving sustainability within our category through product development.
To further the interests of the UK bed industry with all stakeholders, including government and consumers.
Experience from other sectors with similar profiles to the bed industry, including several years on the board of the domestic appliance trade association (AMDEA). My passion for UK manufacturing!
University wasn’t for me, but at 18 years old, I wanted a company car as soon as possible. I found a small family-owned company within the fashion industry that promised me a car within six months… I took the job! (But ended up with battered twelve-year-old Rover with 120,000 miles on the clock). After a couple of years, my business partner and I set up our first company and became my previous employer’s largest customer within a year.
Our company initially supplied buttons to the female garment industry, also manufacturing leather fashion belts, but as clothing manufacturing shifted offshore during the 1990s, we concentrated on developing covered buttons to the upholstery manufacturers. We added an ever-increasing range of additional components to the Handy Ltd range, which ultimately led us to our bed and mattress manufacturing customers.
Apart from offering those “bread and butter” components to the industry, I take particular pleasure in developing novel and creative solutions for our customers via original component development. Solutions that create either cost savings within the production process or generate a point of difference to our customers’ end product.
I want to play a part in increasing the volume of mattresses produced in the UK. And plan to play a part in making this happen whilst representing suppliers on the NBF Council. I watched British clothing manufacturing shift abroad; I am watching the same happen to upholstery production. We cannot let this happen to our UK bed industry.
I joined Wolf Components in 2020 and have since gained experience across operations, procurement, and innovation, before progressing into my current role as Sales Director. This broad background has provided me with a strong understanding of manufacturing and supply chains within the bedding industry.
Before joining Wolf, I studied Engineering at the University of Portsmouth and started my career in London, working in FMCG across UK wholesale and export markets.
I have a strong interest in all areas of the bedding industry and am always eager to learn and develop my knowledge. I am particularly passionate about bringing new, functional products to market through collaboration with supply chain partners.
As a third-generation member involved with the NBF, I bring a long-term perspective and genuine enthusiasm for the UK bedding market.
I am keen to contribute to the conversations that shape the future of the industry, helping to ensure it continues to grow while upholding the high standards associated with British-made mattresses.
As the CEO of Hypnos, and the 5th generation to lead the 120+ year old family business and Royal Warrant holder, I bring a passion to the sleep industry with my drive to create products that deliver comfort with integrity.
Sleep is a vital part of our overall health and wellbeing and is core to the success of Hypnos. I also drive a desire for the business to act responsibly and contribute positively to society, both from an environmental point of view and that of its people.
My view is that Hypnos, and indeed the whole industry, has a responsibility to contribute positively to the wellbeing of people and the planet, celebrating innovation, developing positive partnerships and ‘giving back’ to important sectors of our communities and the industry.
I have a depth of experience derived from interacting with all areas of the industry, from supplier to business and the consumer, testing, safety, people and infrastructure. I represent high-quality British manufacturing and an established international brand, with hands-on experience of directing and supporting the activities of the people and projects within the family business for over 30 years.
I am a degree-qualified Mechanical Engineer with a career spanning production engineering, operations leadership, and senior general management roles.
I have extensive experience working with leading businesses across HVAC, lighting, and specialist vehicle industries, with full P&L accountability and a consistent focus on growth, operational excellence, and market positioning.
I am passionate about leveraging emerging technologies and market drivers to create competitive advantage, accelerate innovation, and support commercially successful product introductions.
I’m interested in operational excellence, strategic product marketing and innovation management.
I would like to bring an external perspective combined with a willingness to challenge convention—asking the “stupid questions” that often unlock better thinking, clearer strategies, and more innovative solutions.
I started with Hilding Anders over 20 years ago, then joined Sleepeezee in autumn 2015. I have been privileged to work with several stellar brands in my time in the industry, each one unique.
The bed industry is far more sophisticated than it seems at first glance, so implementing techniques and processes from other industries isn’t easy, but if done correctly, can truly benefit our industry.
Helping a business become better alongside the people inside that business gives an incredible sense of achievement to all involved.
I have always been an advocate of the NBF setting and then maintaining the standards of the industry, both from a quality/regulatory viewpoint, but also from a financial one.
I will aim to ensure that the NBF can continue to do this in a way that benefits the members.
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