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Let's tell you all About Us

Caring for our people and your furniture is our passion

Vacancies Meet the team Get in touch

About

Furniture is our passion.

We believe that life is for living, so you should be able to choose the furniture you want so you can enjoy it without worrying about accidents and damage.

That’s why we’ve developed:

Founded in 1915, the Guardsman brand is well known and covers not just the UK, but also operates in North America, Australia and Europe. We have over 100 years' experience caring for furniture, developing new techniques, tools and products to achieve the best result. We are passionate about nurturing in-house talent and expertise, from expert furniture manufacturing knowledge to award winning products and services and everything in between; we know it's our job to care for you and your furniture and we won't let you down.

 

We are owned by the Amynta Group, an insurance services company specialising in property, casualty and specialty insurance as well as warranty and protection across the world. Amynta is a premier insurance services company with more than $3.5 billion in managed premium.

Culture

Our strong company culture is one of the many things that set us apart from others. People are at the heart of everything we do. Whether it’s our colleagues, technicians, customers or retail partners – people always come first.

We work together to live a culture of compassion, care and a passion for what we do. Most skills can be learnt, so for us our priority is to welcome people to our team who share our values and are committed to delivering a high-quality service.

Meet The Team

Our entire team is dedicated to helping our consumers and retail partners. Get to know our leadership teams by clicking the photos below:

Mark Potter

Managing Director

Mark joins us as a commercially focussed Managing Director with over 20 years insurance experience. He has broad experience from senior leadership roles in sales, underwriting, claims and new product development and has worked across a range of national and international insurers as well as niche underwriting agencies.

Russell Philpott

Risk and Operations Director

Russell joined the Guardsman team in early 2023. He is responsible for overseeing the Operational side of the business, as well as Governance, Risk Management and Regulatory Compliance across the UK and Europe.

Originally qualified as a Financial Adviser, he moved into a Compliance role with AXA focused on Pensions and Investments. More recently his career has been in General Insurance, working at Compare the Market and Swinton Insurance. Prior to joining Guardsman Russell worked for The AA, where he covered both regulated and non-regulated product lines.

His spare time revolves around his 3 young sons, ferrying them to and from parties/clubs . When he isn’t acting as a taxi, he will with be playing or watching football.

Claire Jouet

HR Director Europe & Australia

Claire is a highly experienced HR professional and Chartered Member of the CIPD with over 20 years’ experience gained within the global IT, professional services, and financial services sectors.
Claire joined Guardsman in early 2019 taking on responsibility for leading HR strategy for both the UK and Australian Guardsman businesses ensuring that all HR needs of our staff and of the Company are being met and are aligned with business objectives.

Zeyn Kassam

Commercial Director

Having worked for Guardsman for over 10 years, Zeyn has grown many of our core business partners into some of our top performing accounts. His focus is to implement business innovation through new product development, project management as well as expansion of our customer portfolio in all aspects of our business.
His vast experience of working within sales and management industry across the retail and the telecommunication sectors has allowed him to deliver on many large and very successful projects whilst at Guardsman.
Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his young family and holidaying in the Middle East.

Paul Jennings

Head of Sales and Development UK/Europe

Paul’s role has two core functions. To manage Guardsman’s relationship with our network of Mid-sized and independent retail partners around the UK, as well as managing our team of Retail Development Executives who deliver face to face instore training and support to our retail partners.
Having been in the business for over 6 years, and previously within the Furniture industry for 10 years, he has a wealth of experience and knowledge, both in assisting consumers, and training and supporting our retail partners.
Outside of work, Paul spends most of his time with his young family and looking forward to his next long-haul holiday.

Richard Oloyede

Head of Sales and Key Partnerships

Richard is responsible for the account management of our retail partners in the south east. Having worked for Guardsman for over 7 years, his key focus is providing support to the retail partners on his territory and helping them to grow their business. This is achieved by providing continual support and training of their sales teams. His experience spans over 10 years, where he has held previous roles at furniture retailers, most recent being Internet/Telesales manager, selling a vast array of furniture and homestyle products.
Outside of work, Richard loves nothing more than spending time with his young family, playing videogames, working out at the gym and playing/watching football.

William Taylor

Head of Network Services

Will is responsible for managing our technician networks, to ensure exceptional and consistent service delivery across the UK and Europe. With over 37 years experience working within the furniture industry the wealth of knowledge, expertise and understanding he has on furniture, retailers and supporting our network is exceptional. He began his career as an apprentice in upholstery, but has also worked in furniture production, retail, insurance, protection, care, cleaning and repairs. He also lecturers for City and Guilds/NCFE, IICRC board and has been a consultant as an independent expert assessor for the furniture ombudsman.
In his spare time he spends time with his wife and three daughters, grows his Balearic record collection and enjoys swimming and tennis.

Lawrence Butcher

Complaints Manager

Lawrence has been with Guardsman for over 11 years, having previously held roles in our Claims team he is now Complaints Manager.
Managing a fast-paced team, he ensures that all complaints are dealt with within FCA regulated timescales, and provides in depth analysis of trends and decisions allowing us to develop the business to grown and improve our measure of dissatisfaction.
Outside of work Lawrence spends time with his family who he admits "keep him very busy" and is an avid reader.

Keith Durham

Warehouse Manager

Keith has been with Guardsman for over 5 years and is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of our warehouse operations and logistics, along with his team. His responsibilities include stock control, ordering and shipment, as well as stock control for our Amazon contract and processing replacement claim parts; he is also manages the on-site facilities and is a member of our Health & Safety committee.
In his spare time he enjoys restoring & touring in his 1990 Mazda MX5 Mk 1, is an avid Chelsea supporter and can sometimes be seen in the stands at Stamford Bridge.
He also has a passion for music, mainly Northern Soul, 60’s R&B (The Who, Spencer Davis Group, The Yardbirds, The Small Faces) & Ska (The Specials, The Beat, Madness, 60’s Jamaican Trojan Ska)

John Glaysher

Continuous Improvement Manager

John has worked within Guardsman for over 7 years helping to drive business growth and development through coordinating information, data analysis, and contributing to overall strategy and performance evaluation. His main responsibilities include continual process review, system and process betterment, project management, communication, and monitoring projects through to delivery.
John is also experienced Claims and Complaints Team Manager skilled in Coaching, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), People Management, and Planning.
In his spare time he is a keen gamer also very much enjoys family time with his wife and two children.

Andy Stallard

IT Systems Engineer

Andy has worked across a multitude of industries over the last 40+ years, but for the last 27 has settled into IT based roles which have taken him all over the UK and the world. He is responsible for all our IT systems and hardware including troubleshooting problems that both internal and external system users face, ensures his knowledge of IT systems, processes and cyber security are up to date, as well as continually monitoring our systems and processes ensuring we are at minimal risk from cyber-attack.
In his spare time, Andy enjoys listening to music, gaming, 3D design & printing, hacking/inventing, designing and creating lights and music players, cooking, F1 & family and friends.

Paula Walters

Finance Manager

Paula is responsible for overseeing the day to day of the finance department and team. In her busy role, she predominantly focusses on closing of sales and nominal ledgers and prepares the monthly profit and loss as well as overseeing inventory working closely with our warehouse and marketing teams.
In her spare time, she loves to de-stress by getting creative and makes beautiful creations fusing glass.


Kate Way

Marketing Manager

Kate is a highly experienced marketing executive having worked for Guardsman for over 18 years, she is a very competent member of the team. Skilled in marketing strategy, project management, managing supplier and retail relationships, customer relationship management (CRM) and consumer product marketing, Kate is responsible for and oversees all the marketing for our business.
In her spare time, she likes to sew, bake and enjoys family time with her husband and daughter.

Michelle Buckland

Operations Support Manager

Michelle has been with Guardsman for over 28 years in various claims and operational roles. In addition to managing the Policy Administration team and Digital Mail teams she is responsible for providing the MI to our underwriters, retailers and internally. She is also heavily involved in managing our plan and claims systems. In her spare time she likes to keep her hands busy by knitting and doing crochet, as well as looking after foster rabbits, rescue rabbits and her dog.

Amanda Coates

Risk and Compliance Manager

Amanda has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry and brings extensive knowledge of this sector. She is dedicated to bridging the gaps often found between compliance and other departments or industries. Her primary goal is to promote compliance, not only to ensure positive outcomes for customers but also to demonstrate its crucial role in maintaining a company's good reputation.
Outside of work, Amanda loves talking long walks in the countryside or by the sea with her 2 dogs and most recently has learnt how to play both the electric and bass guitar.

Chris Whelan

Head of Claims and Insurance Services

Chris brings extensive knowledge and experience and his strong reputation for driving business improvement means he is invaluable to our team. He has particular expertise in claims processes, system enhancements, compliance, and FCA regulations.
Chris is a keen sports man, and is head coach for his local rugby team as well as being a busy dad to his two children.

We’re incredibly proud of our team and pride ourselves on creating a warm and welcoming working environment. 

We work hard and we’re passionate about giving the best possible service to our customers and retail partners. Whether we’re registering plans, handling claims or liaising with our network of technicians, we all share the same goal: deliver exceptional service and have fun while we’re doing it.

 

Are you interested in a Safeclean by Guardsman Franchise?

Underline

Safeclean by Guardsman are looking for the right people to join their well-respected franchise brand across the UK.  

Established in 1965, Safeclean is one of the longest established franchises in the UK and are a founder member of the British Franchise Association.

Safeclean provides high-quality cleaning services to homeowners and commercial properties. The van-based franchise offers its owners the ability to run their own business with a hands-on approach as a sole trader - or the option to develop a management franchise.

More information on becoming a franchisee can be found here on our website: Become a Franchisee - Safeclean

 

To start your franchising journey, please contact us to arrange a friendly, initial conversation – info@safeclean.co.uk

 

 

Download Job Spec Apply

Furniture Repair Technician

Underline

We are continually looking to expand our network of skilled furniture repair technicians across the UK and Ireland.  

If you are passionate about furniture repair and restoration and want to work with us, take a look at the document below and get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!

Download Job Spec Apply

Work For Us

If you're interested in joining us, please submit your CV and a covering letter below.

Get In Touch

If you want to make a new claim, simply click here to login to our Customer Portal or call us on 0345 128 1240

For all other enquiries, the easiest way to get in touch is to complete the contact form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

 

If you wish to make a complaint, select the appropriate option from the drop down below or click here for more information.

Contact

Find us

If the options in the get in touch box are not relevant, please use one of the options below. Please be aware that any enquires relating to claims will be forwarded to the claims department which may result in delays in responding.

Office hours are Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm

01235 444700
Guardsman Industries Ltd
Innovation Centre
99 Park Drive, Milton Park
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 4RY

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