The BMF has confirmed that David Young, Managing Director of Bradfords Building Supplies and Tony France, Sales Director of Ibstock Brick will take part in in a lively Industry Forum debate at this year’s All-Industry Conference, which takes place in June in Dubrovnik.
The Industry Forum is one of the most popular sessions at the BMF’s biennial Conference, bringing together delegates from every sector of the industry to debate key business issues of the day. The scene is set with initial presentations by four industry leaders, with many years of experience between them, before the debate is opened to the floor.
Tony France is Sales Director of Ibstock Brick, the UK’s market-leading brick manufacturer with 21 factories producing over 800 million bricks a year. He is also Supplier Advisor to the BMF Board and the BMBI ‘Expert’ for Bricks. Tony has worked in the brick industry for 34 years since joining the sales team of Steetley Brick & Tile in 1985. Having worked through the acquisitions of Steetley by Redland in 1992, then of Redland by Ibstock in 1996, he has seen a lot of change in the industry most of which, he says, for the good. He has always worked closely with Builders Merchants, forming strong relationships and a deep passion for the sector. He has also attended every BMF Conference since his first in Barcelona in 1994.
David Young specialises in developing businesses through strong relationships with customers, suppliers and employees. He has been Managing Director of Bradfords Building Supplies since 2015, heading a business that encompasses 43 builders merchants, 23 plumbing and heating branches, 23 toolhire branches and 7 kitchens and bathroom showrooms. He has worked in the construction materials industry throughout his career, joining the Wolseley UK graduate sales management training scheme in 1996. He ran his first branch the following year and undertook a number of sales and operational roles within the Build Center brand, becoming Build Center trading director for the southwest in 2006 before moving to a national role with Drain Center five years later. He joined Bradfords Building Supplies in 2014 as Business Development Director before taking up to his current role.