David Whitworth, a former chair and director of the Door and Hardware Federation (DHF) has died, aged 91. “We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to him for his extraordinary and outstanding commitment and contribution,” the DHF’s current CEO has remarked, adding his and the organisation’s condolences to David’s family and friends.
David started a life-long career in architectural ironmongery in 1955 when he joined his family’s business, Laidlaw and Thomson. Soon afterwards, in 1958, he became managing director. There followed a period of expansion which saw the business becoming one of the leading architectural ironmongers in the UK.
Laidlaw and Thomson was a founder business member of the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) in 1961, and David sat on the guild’s executive committee from its inception. He was chair of the GAI between 1968 and 1970, and again from 1978 to 1979. David was also president of ARGE, an association representing lock and hardware manufacturers throughout Europe.
Additionally, David was a member of the Association of Building Hardware Manufacturers (ABHM) management committee. He was elected as ABHM’s chair in 2001.
In 2004, David was a key player in ABHM’s merger with the Door and Shutter Manufacturers’ Association to form the new, larger association, DHF. In 2007, he became chair of DHF and, for a number of years, also chaired the DHF’s building hardware group. After David stepped away from his chairing role at the DHF, he continued to take a keen interest both in the growth, development and ongoing success of the federation, and in the industry as a whole.
Bob Perry, the DHF’s CEO, said: “David’s knowledge and expertise of architectural ironmongery and building hardware was absolutely unparalleled. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to him for his extraordinary and outstanding commitment and contribution to DHF and to the wider building hardware industry. We all join in expressing our condolences to David’s family and friends at this very sad time.”
