Member Article

Red Diamond partners with heritage textiles firm in innovation drive

Global agency Red Diamond Executive Headhunters has partnered with heritage brand AW Hainsworth to place the company’s first director of innovation, in a bid to futureproof its operations and update their storytelling for the modern age.

Textile experts AW Hainsworth, which holds the Royal Warrant for interior fabrics at Windsor Castle, is recruiting an innovation, technical and design director, as part of a new development strategy, which will foster more sustainable, innovative and technological practices, as the company embraces its range of growth opportunities and further strengthens its brand positioning, protecting its fantastic heritage.

Newly appointed managing director of AW Hainsworth, Amanda McLaren, tasked Red Diamond to source their new director as the agency’s values of quality, efficiency and excellence aligned with their own.

Amanda explained: “Here at AW Hainsworth we are always striving to excel in the industry, and our commitment to sustainable working practices is no different. We value Red Diamond’s expertise and commitment to find the most suitable candidate for our business, and this newly created role will bridge a gap between our heritage and past achievements, and the future of our business at the forefront of sustainable textiles production.

“While this role will mark AW Hainsworth’s commitment to future innovation, the company already has history in leading with innovative fabric solutions. Despite being a woollen mill, previous generations of our leadership and workforce teams’ developed the first fabric using a wool/man-made fibre combination for the uniform worn by firefighters, once its pure wool predecessor proved no longer suitable for the job. This significant product and design modernisation led to a Queen’s Award for Innovation.”

Red Diamond founder and director Emma Robinson added: “The past 18 months have been an exciting time for us as we work hard to achieve our ambitions to be industry leaders and we are thrilled to partner with AW Hainsworth as they look to build and expand their leadership team.

“Amanda and her team are championing sustainable practices within the textile industry, and we are determined to help them put the right candidate in place to support their long-term goals and achieve operational excellence. The ideal candidate will need to understand and respect the history of the company but embrace the passion for sustainability and innovation which will spearhead their production drive.

“At Red Diamond, we have a philosophy of recruiting for tomorrow, not just today, a message that is at the forefront of AW Hainsworth’s innovation strategy. We very much looking forward to working with them.”

Red Diamond Executive Headhunters was founded in 2011 and this year celebrates 10 years in business. There have been a raft of recent client wins across the aerospace, finance and construction products sectors, and recently welcomed new talent and expertise to their own team with the appointment of Shannon Liu as their new marketing lead.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Red Diamond Executive Headhunters .