Ian Filby

…who as CEO at DFS led some serious customer pioneering in a sector known more for pushing sales and dodgy deals. DFS is in fact one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of sofas not just a retailer, but when Ian arrived in 2010 the business needed reinvention to become relevant to the future, and to soften the brand, making it loved not just known about. The big customer pioneering switch was to focus on women, the home and the way the outcome will look and feel, not men and the deal. This was backed by insight – a high percentage of decision-making was led by women, whatever was claimed by men. This led to a wholesale change in the people DFS employed, towards women, a change in style of advertising, the growth of partnerships with brands like French Connection, Country Living, House Beautiful and then the acquisition of Sofa Workshop, Dwell and Sofology. Ian is currently Chair of Pinewood Technologies plc, a spin off from Pendragon which was recently acquired by Lithia Motors.