Journal
Guild Anderson are delighted to welcome Andrew Petherick to the team. He joins us as Business Development Director.
Growing up in the Woodford Valley, Salisbury; Andrew’s father ran the country house department for Strutt and Parker, and so has appreciated traditional interiors from an early age. During the school holidays he would join his father on viewings, visiting extraordinary houses throughout Wiltshire, Dorset and Hampshire. Homes such as those once belonging to Cecil Beaton and Stephen Tennant and period country houses such as Ven House, Trafalgar Park, and Aldebury House, all ignited his passion for the vernacular architecture of the English Country House.
Fresh from school, Andrew took a year out in Australia, working on a cattle station. It was both enormous fun and a baptism of fire. His new Australian friends felt the best way for him to learn to ride was to introduce him to the 16-hand quarter horse, Battle Cat. He learned quickly.
Returning home unharmed, he forged ahead with a career in marketing communications, starting work in London for the PR agency Shandwick, where he worked as an account executive with clients such as Nestle and Unilever. He left as account director and moved to Saatchi & Saatchi to work with their advertising teams on the British Army account.
In the late 1990s he joined the internet startup, Mailtrack, just as the internet boom started. Specialising in data marketing, Andrew found himself at the cutting edge of a new era of digital marketing.
Then, newly married, Andrew saw the light and moved with his new family to Devon. He wanted to leave London and create something of value, something that was permanent and useful rather than the fast ever-changing world of data and media content.
He retrained as a cabinet maker, with esteemed furniture maker David Charlesworth with the idea that he would himself become a maker.
It was while training under David he realised that coming to this profession midway through his working life was far from ideal. With a family to support he felt in order to be a one-man band cabinet maker he should really have started his career when he left school rather than in his 30s.
Moving to Somerset, he was introduced to Artichoke. The combination of his cabinet making skills, coupled with his experience in PR, media and client management made him an attractive prospect for the young and growing kitchen company which offered him a client facing role.
Throughout his 14 years at Artichoke Andrew donned a a variety of hats; Sales and Marketing; Project Director and New Business Development Director, focusing on sourcing new clients and being involved in major restoration and renovation projects of up to £3 million in value.
Now his new position at Guild Anderson, the role of Business Development Director hones all of Andrew’s skills perfectly. He has acres of client experience and the ability to liaise with builders, interior designers and architect as well as our own workshop and design teams. He is also passionate about country houses which stems from his early childhood. He understands both the buildings for which we design and the kitchens that we make. He is able to engage with all aspects of our business with passion and integrity; a true Guild Anderson brand ambassador.
When asked what most excites him about Guild Anderson, he says “Guild Anderson is very clear what it is trying to achieve, which is bridging the gap between the cookie-cutter formulaic approach offered by the high street, and companies like Artichoke who service a global billionaire elite. Our approach to bespoke is approachable, accessible, and very relevant to buyers of country houses in southern England. We’re also located in an area I grew up in, which is ideal.
Beyond work, Andrew is still making cabinets and furniture at home, and is currently working on a marquetry box. Being a true Wiltshire boy at heart, he has now found his home, with his wife and three children, in Somerset. Famous for its cheddar and cider, he loves this true Somerset “religion”; buying his favourite cheese from under the counter at his local pub. “They won’t let just anyone buy it!” he adds. His favourite cider is Hecks Kingston Black, a single variety – Somerset in a bottle!
If you would like to speak to Andrew on site, at your home, or over some cheese and a cider, please contact him
t. 01747 820449
Guild Anderson Furniture Limited, 22 Grosvenor Drive, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6GS
