Cabinet Making, Furniture & Joinery

“I am deeply passionate about the NZ Furniture, cabinet making and joinery industry and my purpose is to support the evolution of it, so that it can be an attractive industry to work in and to invest in”

Ian Featherstone

Background

As a 16-year-old immigrant from the UK in 1983, I served an apprenticeship with an award winning, furniture company, where I was awarded in NZ Advanced Trade apprentice of the year in 1988. My first leadership role began the following year in a kitchen company which grew from 3 to 18 people. It was here in 1990 that I implemented systems, including planning, computerised costing and back costing processes. This model led to significant growth and outsourcing of components, which I had studied on a visit back to the UK. I then joined the outsourcing company, where I had responsibility for 35 staff and this company was one of the first with the latest European machines. I had one more role at a shopfitting supply business, supplying products NZ wide, before joining Fletchers (Fletcher Wood Panels ) in a technical role in their marketing team. I was then placed in the national key account role, responsible for NZ’s largest furniture and joinery companies, a role I held until the business merged, following the purchase by Fletcher Building of Laminex Australia and Formica globally. I learned so much from these customers, my peers and many great leaders at Fletchers and especially in the later years, as I worked as a member of the senior leadership team on projects that re-shaped the business through the difficult years during and following the GFC.
I left the business as part of a re-structure in 2012 and was delighted to be asked by a few of my old customers to help them with their business. Those clients became the first customers of Glass Half Full.  I’ve never looked back and I still regularly do work for 2-3 of those first clients.
Since 2012  have worked with over 40 companies, in industries ranging from kitchens, joinery, glass, ultra high pressure hydroblasting, material suppliers, benchtops, flooring, toolmaking and printing

Today

I provide business advisory services, including coaching for owners and managers, leadership development for individuals and teams, sales improvement programmes and implement a range of operational and planning processes. I use a range of tools, which I tailor to suit each customer’s needs. I am often the person running meetings, keeping notes, reviewing the numbers and holding people (including business owners) to account.
My clients benefit from having an independent point of view and by having someone they can trust, who they can call whenever they need to. Sometimes this results in the formation of an Advisory Board, which often includes other external people, such as finance or other external experience.

I also have an extensive professional network, so if there are areas we need to bring deep expertise, such as legal, HR, finance, Marketing, and IT, then I can confidently recommend people I have worked with before.