The British Coatings Federation has elected its first female President of its 111-year history, during 2023 Annual Conference.

Over 150 senior business leaders and decision-makers from the UK's paints, coatings and printing ink sectors gathered in Derby for the 2023 British Coatings Federation (BCF) Annual Conference.

The event also marked the end of current BCF President Guy Williams’ two-year tenure, with the baton being passed to incoming President, Sharon Harte, who is currently Group Managing Director at Dacrylate Paints.

Harte becomes the first female President of the BCF – or its predecessor organisations – in its 111-year history.

Speaking of his time as President, Guy thanked the Board and said it had been an honour to serve the industry. He said: “BCF has developed considerably over the last 10 years, and I have no doubt it will continue to grow and thrive. Looking back, I take immense pride in the achievements of BCF in recent years.

“Starting with the new HQ in Coventry, we’ve seen the Federation strengthen significantly and has twice been named Trade Association of the Year.

“Financially we are on a very sound footing now and Corporate Governance is exemplary, ratified with the Trade Association’s Good Governance Award in February this year, with high engagement at Board Level and a clear strategy for the years ahead.”

Commenting on her appointment, Sharon Harte said that she was looking forward to serving the for the next two years and supporting the BCF team. She explained: “I would like to personally thank Guy for his fantastic leadership throughout his presidency which must be one of the most turbulent periods in the industry’s history.

“Looking forward, the BCF, like many others, will face significant challenges ahead. However, the BCF is continuing to punch above its weight on key issues such as UK REACH, Net Zero, and changes to packaging and building regulations.”

Tom Bowtell, CEO of BCF, added: “We are all looking forward to working with Sharon in her new role as President. She is a great servant of, and advocate for the industry. We know we have so much more to do in terms of addressing diversity issues in our industry but this marks another step in the right direction.

“We have more female BCF Board members than ever before too and we have, collectively, pledged to do more to prioritise further progress in terms of diversity and inclusion across the sector as a whole.”