Eight young professionals – all recognised as rising stars in the furniture and furnishings sector – have completed the Young Professionals Industry Experience (YPIE) scheme.
The 2025 programme marks the second year since the initiative’s relaunch and is one of The Furniture Makers’ Company’s flagship educational opportunities. It provides a select group of professionals with a comprehensive overview of the industry, covering everything from retail, design and manufacturing to marketing, compliance, testing and sustainability.
Daniel Edmunds, Dreams, team leader, Charlotte Ackroyd, HSL head of manufacturing; Jakub Jedlecki, a Lanserring technical designer; Carl-Henrik Andersson, Category Furniture founder; Sinead Ambrose, a multidisciplinary designer maker currently studying furniture design & make at Rycotewood College; Aamarah Noor, self-employed designer and 2024 Young Furniture Makers award winner; Miles Clifford, designer/maker and YFM winner and Jennifer Seastone, sculptural bespoke furniture maker 2024 Young
Furniture Maker winner were this year’s participants.
Over three weeks, the group visited 20 companies across the UK to explore the full spectrum of the furniture supply chain, with in-depth insights into design, component sourcing, production, marketing, customer service, and innovation: Anti Copying in Design (ACID), Blum UK, Colebrook Bosson Saunders, Designer Contracts, Dreams, Ercol, Ergochair, FIRA, G Plan, Halstock Cabinet Makers, Herman Miller, Hypnos, John Makepeace, MillerKnoll, Panaz, Prima Foam, Satra, Sleepeezee, The Furniture Ombudsman, and William Hands.
‘The experience gave me a broader understanding of how the industry operates – not just from a designer’s perspective, but across the wider business. Gaining a deeper understanding of how a product moves through each stage of the process was incredibly insightful. I’m leaving the programme feeling more informed, inspired, motivated, and better prepared to navigate the industry. I’ve also come away with stronger professional connections. I’d recommend this opportunity to other young professionals looking to gain meaningful, real-world industry experience,’ says Noor
‘The programme was very successful in connecting me with the furniture industry, something I have found to be very valuable. It showed me different leading UK furniture manufacturers and showed me firsthand how the sector is tackling sustainability. I came away with a deeper understanding of circularity, data-driven innovation, and the complex relationship between financial growth and environmental responsibility,’ says Andersson
‘It was amazing that so many successful people took time out to really show us the insides of their businesses and what was important to them personally. It was also great meeting so many people pursuing different careers and learning about their processes,’ says Seastone.
‘I really enjoyed meeting true professionals and gaining insight into how companies operate behind the scenes. Each company we visited offered something unique, and even when a business didn’t align directly with my personal career goals, I always found something valuable to take away,’ says Ambrose.
The YPIE group are pictured with Dids Macdonald, Anti Copying in Design founder and former FMC master outside Furniture Makers’ Hall in London before a presentation lunch to mark the end of the programme.
