Dawson Penn retires from the Hair and Barber Council

Since the hugely sad passing of our Chair Bill Shaw MBE earlier in the year, Dawson Penn, a man that has been on the Council for well over 20 years agreed to step in as interim Chair prior to a new Chair being appointed.

Keith Conniford, Registrar of The Hair and Barber Council said,I have known Dawson since around 1986 when he was one of the first, if not the first, Government sponsored training provider in the UK. Those were the days when the YTS scheme was first announced. His training company was called ‘Just Ahead’ based in Portsmouth and Dawson was instrumental in getting these training programmes off the ground.

Throughout his life Dawson has always had the very best interests of the industry at heart, and indeed has fought tirelessly to ensure young people coming into the sector got the very best training and education that was possible. This together with the years of work he carried out on behalf of The Hairdressing Council and that of the industry, without doubt earns him a place in our sectors history and indeed the history of the Council.

Sadly, but completely understandably, Dawson has decided it is time to ‘retire’ from the industry and indeed his place on the Council.

Clearly, I am extremely sad about this but totally respect the reasons why Dawson has made this decision, and I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincerest thanks to Dawson for his total commitment and dedication to the Council over the years and indeed to that of the industry.

I am sure you all join together with me in wishing him a peaceful and happy retirement, albeit tinged with a large degree of sadness with the passing of his lovely wife Eileen in the latter part of 2020.

Thank you Dawson….for everything!