A Personal Profile

Tony Attard is Group Chief Executive of Burnley-based Panaz Limited, an internationally-recognised pioneer in the design and manufacture of inherently flame retardant fabrics for the global contract furnishings arena.

Having won a Courtaulds scholarship to read for a BSc Hons in the Department of Textiles at UMIST, Tony Attard took design posts with two of the leading names in international textiles (Courtaulds and Tootal) before forming Panaz in 1986. Since then, he has spearheaded the development of exclusive flame retardant fabrics for the worldwide hospitality, leisure, cruise ship and healthcare industries, combining a keen embrace of advancing technologies with an enterprising and dynamic management style. Mr Attard’s contribution to the development of fabric design in this specialist sector has been acknowledged formally with the presentation of an Outstanding Alumnus Award by UMIST. Other awards for commercial and personal achievement include the Design Council Award for Design in the Public Sector (1988), the DTI Award for Export (1996), the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement (1997) and the Queen’s Award for Innovation (2004). An associate of the Institute of Textiles and a member of the Institute of Management, Mr Attard is also a member of the UMIST Department of Textiles Industrial Advisory Group. A former Chairman of the British Contract Furnishing Association, he remains an active member of the association’s management board and is the BCFA spokesman on Design and Export matters. Married with three children, Tony Attard lives in Grimsargh, just outside Preston, Lancashire.