David Savastano, Editor12.07.21
The Silver Award, the most prestigious honor presented by the British Coatings Federation, recognizes a person who has provided outstanding service and exceptional contribution to the coatings industry’s growth and reputation. HMG Paints chairman John Falder, this year’s Silver Award honoree, certainly meets these high standards.
For more than 40 years, Falder has been actively involved in the coatings industry, serving as BCF president between 2014 and 2016, chairing key committees and playing an important role in developing several industry initiatives.
“I have been actively involved in the industry and with the BCF for over 40 years, taking a leading role in developing several industry initiatives, such as the apprenticeship training scheme and Coatings Care, Paintcare and the industry’s health, safety, and environmental programme,” Falder said.
“Over the years I have also chaired the Industrial and Powder Coatings Council and the Vehicle Refinish Committee, as well as being a member of the General Purpose and Finance Committee,” he added. “It was an enormous privilege to become president of the BCF president between 2014 and 2016. The BCF is a fantastic organisation representing our industry extraordinarily well in every respect and they are utterly committed to the greater good of the coatings industry.”
Joining the Paint Industry
To say that Falder has been in the paint industry for pretty much his whole life would almost be an understatement, as he started at the family business when he was about 7 or 8.
“I have been involved in our family business, HMG Paints, then H. Marcel Guest, since before I can remember!,” Falder recalled. “From the age of about 7 or 8, I used to accompany my father and grandfather, Herbert Falder, founder of H. Marcel Guest, on Saturday mornings to go and help with jobs and tasks.
“My very first job was sticking on labels, and packing tubes of adhesive,” he noted. “Child labour? Absolutely not – this was fantastic, and a good Saturday morning which involved me earning some wages (2 shillings and 6 old pence to be exact), which were spent later in the day at a local toy shop.”
After Falder graduated from Bangor University in chemistry and marine biology, he started his full-time career in HMG at 21 years old.
“As I entered the family business, I began working the way through every department to gain experience as well as attending associations’ networking and knowledge sharing events such as the British Coatings Federation (BCF), known then as The Paint Makers Association of Great Britain,” he added.
Falder can point to numerous accomplishments during his time in the paint and coatings industry, and he begins with the success and growth of colleagues and family members in the business.
“Our culture is centered on the development of our people and their fulfilment in what we do,” he observed. “The business is about the team at HMG. The way this team of people and past employees have nurtured and dedicated their time to my family business throughout the years is the reason we are still here today and thriving. I am confident in saying that I work with the best team in the coatings industry and I have had a most enjoyable career.
“Most recently, we have been awarded with the British Chambers of Commerce’s Business Hero Award as well as the Corporate Social Responsibility Award (by the BCF) and the Essence of Family Business Award for our hard work throughout the pandemic, which highlighted the best in HMG and the people of the company,” Falder said. “When the country was struggling through a global pandemic, our laboratory technicians set to work on producing a World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended formulation hand sanitiser, which was then donated to local emergency services, care homes, schools, and key workers.”
Falder points to his grandfather and farther as major influences in his life.
“Of course, my grandfather and father were huge influences and as a family business, we set our own path and as my father said in an interview just a few years before his passing in 2019, ‘In terms of working with products and learning, we did it all ourselves, we didn't have influencers as we were the influencers as a team, we were our own role models,’” Falder said.
“At the age of 36, I took over from my father Brian as managing director of HMG and through the growth of the business, one thing that has remained the same and has been passed down from generation to generation is ensuring that the business follows its core values of ‘decent, worthwhile and secure’ for the people of HMG Paints,” Falder added. “My absolute belief is, the company of HMG is not the bricks, the machines and the mortar, it is the company we keep i.e. our people.”
Throughout the years, the paint and coatings industry has evolved, and Falder has seen a lot of changes.
“The biggest thing that I have seen over my time in the coatings industry is the shrinkage in the number of paint companies,” he said. “In the 1960s, there were around 1,000 paint companies in the UK compared to the 60 or less of today. There has been a massive shift from local business to national business to international business.”
Outside of work, Falder has a wide range of hobbies, beginning with, well, painting, as well as family and outdoor activities.
“In my spare time, I do oil paintings, and earlier this year I had a successful exhibition as a commercial artist at a well-known gallery on Anglesey, Oriel Ger Y Fenai,” Falder said. “I love to spend quality time with family, including restoring vintage cars with my son, Jonathan, recently we completed a restoration on a 1930 model A Ford (more painting!). I am a keen golfer and have also been partial to a game or two of table tennis with my colleagues at HMG in one of our break areas (albeit I am slowing these days!) My list of interests is a big one: boating, fishing, golfing, motor sport, cooking, walking, travel, DIY and not forgetting my love for Manchester City Football Club (never miss a home game!).
Receiving the Silver Award
Falder said that receiving the BCF Silver Award is a “huge and humbling honour.”
“Peer recognition from industry colleagues is about as special as it gets,” he added. “As a family we have a passion for paint, and clearly, I inherited the bug! We are part of a great industry and it has been a privilege to work with everyone.
Speaking with his colleagues at HMG Paints and at the BCF, it is clear that Falder is held in high esteem by all.
“John Falder exemplifies the commitment to the industry that the Silver Medal was developed to recognize,” said Tom Bowtell, chief executive of the British Coatings Federation, in announcing the award. “He has been a prominent figure in the coatings industry and is a huge advocate of the BCF. We would like to thank John for his support and expertise throughout the years and congratulate him on this very much deserved accolade.”
“John is an absolute ambassador to the coatings industry and it’s great to see John receiving the recognition he fully deserves,” Steve Hutton, HMG Paints’ operations director, noted.
“John has always been a passionate advocate for the coatings industry, playing a big part in the BCF,” added HMG Paints COO Steve Crossman.
“The Silver Medal recognises those who provide outstanding service and an exceptional contribution to the industry’s growth and reputation,” said Gracienne Ikin, brand development & communications manager for HMG Paints. “Quite frankly, I couldn’t think of a better recipient of the award than John Falder. His dedication to the coatings Industry throughout the years has been second to none. I am almost certain he has paint, instead of blood, running through his veins!”
“I have worked with John since 1987, since then I have sold around 80 million pounds of paint,” Paul Edwards, HMG Paints’ sales manager, added. “In this time, I have met, as you can imagine, quite a few leaders of industry, but no one like John. His passion is infectious, honestly working with John has changed my life. My daughter now is involved working in HMG and is about to finish a degree course with Salford University, this again was John’s vision.”
“My uncle, John Falder, has for my entire life been so entirely and absolutely devoted to the coatings industry and everything associated with it,” Rebecca Falder, company secretary, concluded. “I cannot think of anyone with more passion and care for what they do, and he has always gone out of his way to encourage and inspire others to share his joy in the world of paint. The British Coatings Federation have chosen a fantastic recipient for the medal, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
For more than 40 years, Falder has been actively involved in the coatings industry, serving as BCF president between 2014 and 2016, chairing key committees and playing an important role in developing several industry initiatives.
“I have been actively involved in the industry and with the BCF for over 40 years, taking a leading role in developing several industry initiatives, such as the apprenticeship training scheme and Coatings Care, Paintcare and the industry’s health, safety, and environmental programme,” Falder said.
“Over the years I have also chaired the Industrial and Powder Coatings Council and the Vehicle Refinish Committee, as well as being a member of the General Purpose and Finance Committee,” he added. “It was an enormous privilege to become president of the BCF president between 2014 and 2016. The BCF is a fantastic organisation representing our industry extraordinarily well in every respect and they are utterly committed to the greater good of the coatings industry.”
Joining the Paint Industry
To say that Falder has been in the paint industry for pretty much his whole life would almost be an understatement, as he started at the family business when he was about 7 or 8.
“I have been involved in our family business, HMG Paints, then H. Marcel Guest, since before I can remember!,” Falder recalled. “From the age of about 7 or 8, I used to accompany my father and grandfather, Herbert Falder, founder of H. Marcel Guest, on Saturday mornings to go and help with jobs and tasks.
“My very first job was sticking on labels, and packing tubes of adhesive,” he noted. “Child labour? Absolutely not – this was fantastic, and a good Saturday morning which involved me earning some wages (2 shillings and 6 old pence to be exact), which were spent later in the day at a local toy shop.”
After Falder graduated from Bangor University in chemistry and marine biology, he started his full-time career in HMG at 21 years old.
“As I entered the family business, I began working the way through every department to gain experience as well as attending associations’ networking and knowledge sharing events such as the British Coatings Federation (BCF), known then as The Paint Makers Association of Great Britain,” he added.
Falder can point to numerous accomplishments during his time in the paint and coatings industry, and he begins with the success and growth of colleagues and family members in the business.
“Our culture is centered on the development of our people and their fulfilment in what we do,” he observed. “The business is about the team at HMG. The way this team of people and past employees have nurtured and dedicated their time to my family business throughout the years is the reason we are still here today and thriving. I am confident in saying that I work with the best team in the coatings industry and I have had a most enjoyable career.
“Most recently, we have been awarded with the British Chambers of Commerce’s Business Hero Award as well as the Corporate Social Responsibility Award (by the BCF) and the Essence of Family Business Award for our hard work throughout the pandemic, which highlighted the best in HMG and the people of the company,” Falder said. “When the country was struggling through a global pandemic, our laboratory technicians set to work on producing a World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended formulation hand sanitiser, which was then donated to local emergency services, care homes, schools, and key workers.”
Falder points to his grandfather and farther as major influences in his life.
“Of course, my grandfather and father were huge influences and as a family business, we set our own path and as my father said in an interview just a few years before his passing in 2019, ‘In terms of working with products and learning, we did it all ourselves, we didn't have influencers as we were the influencers as a team, we were our own role models,’” Falder said.
“At the age of 36, I took over from my father Brian as managing director of HMG and through the growth of the business, one thing that has remained the same and has been passed down from generation to generation is ensuring that the business follows its core values of ‘decent, worthwhile and secure’ for the people of HMG Paints,” Falder added. “My absolute belief is, the company of HMG is not the bricks, the machines and the mortar, it is the company we keep i.e. our people.”
Throughout the years, the paint and coatings industry has evolved, and Falder has seen a lot of changes.
“The biggest thing that I have seen over my time in the coatings industry is the shrinkage in the number of paint companies,” he said. “In the 1960s, there were around 1,000 paint companies in the UK compared to the 60 or less of today. There has been a massive shift from local business to national business to international business.”
Outside of work, Falder has a wide range of hobbies, beginning with, well, painting, as well as family and outdoor activities.
“In my spare time, I do oil paintings, and earlier this year I had a successful exhibition as a commercial artist at a well-known gallery on Anglesey, Oriel Ger Y Fenai,” Falder said. “I love to spend quality time with family, including restoring vintage cars with my son, Jonathan, recently we completed a restoration on a 1930 model A Ford (more painting!). I am a keen golfer and have also been partial to a game or two of table tennis with my colleagues at HMG in one of our break areas (albeit I am slowing these days!) My list of interests is a big one: boating, fishing, golfing, motor sport, cooking, walking, travel, DIY and not forgetting my love for Manchester City Football Club (never miss a home game!).
Receiving the Silver Award
Falder said that receiving the BCF Silver Award is a “huge and humbling honour.”
“Peer recognition from industry colleagues is about as special as it gets,” he added. “As a family we have a passion for paint, and clearly, I inherited the bug! We are part of a great industry and it has been a privilege to work with everyone.
Speaking with his colleagues at HMG Paints and at the BCF, it is clear that Falder is held in high esteem by all.
“John Falder exemplifies the commitment to the industry that the Silver Medal was developed to recognize,” said Tom Bowtell, chief executive of the British Coatings Federation, in announcing the award. “He has been a prominent figure in the coatings industry and is a huge advocate of the BCF. We would like to thank John for his support and expertise throughout the years and congratulate him on this very much deserved accolade.”
“John is an absolute ambassador to the coatings industry and it’s great to see John receiving the recognition he fully deserves,” Steve Hutton, HMG Paints’ operations director, noted.
“John has always been a passionate advocate for the coatings industry, playing a big part in the BCF,” added HMG Paints COO Steve Crossman.
“The Silver Medal recognises those who provide outstanding service and an exceptional contribution to the industry’s growth and reputation,” said Gracienne Ikin, brand development & communications manager for HMG Paints. “Quite frankly, I couldn’t think of a better recipient of the award than John Falder. His dedication to the coatings Industry throughout the years has been second to none. I am almost certain he has paint, instead of blood, running through his veins!”
“I have worked with John since 1987, since then I have sold around 80 million pounds of paint,” Paul Edwards, HMG Paints’ sales manager, added. “In this time, I have met, as you can imagine, quite a few leaders of industry, but no one like John. His passion is infectious, honestly working with John has changed my life. My daughter now is involved working in HMG and is about to finish a degree course with Salford University, this again was John’s vision.”
“My uncle, John Falder, has for my entire life been so entirely and absolutely devoted to the coatings industry and everything associated with it,” Rebecca Falder, company secretary, concluded. “I cannot think of anyone with more passion and care for what they do, and he has always gone out of his way to encourage and inspire others to share his joy in the world of paint. The British Coatings Federation have chosen a fantastic recipient for the medal, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
