One of the Federation's founders in 1992, and three times a director at the leading UK converter trade body since, Dick Searle spent 36 years in the packaging industry, serving in senior roles at companies including CarnaudMetalBox, Riverwood and the Britton Group, before retiring two years ago. While he has "greatly enjoyed" chairing a family-owned property business in the meantime, when asked to succeed Dent as Federation ceo last autumn he admits the decision to come out of retirement to what his predecessor said had "sometimes felt like a 24 hour-a-day, seven-day-a week job" was "an absolute no-brainer". He explains: "Having spent virtually my entire career in packaging, it's in my blood, and I viewed the chance to become ceo almost as a duty, albeit a very welcome one, at a time when the sector needs to make its voice heard as perhaps never before."
展开▼
