Following the departure in December 2018 of Dr Philip Wright, after a nearly three-year tenure, the TSA‘s Board’s first priority has been to ensure continuity of service for our members, resulting in Robin Rhodes joining the association as interim manager to support the executive team.

After careful considerations, the Board has now decided that Stevens, a board member himself for over 20 years and actively involved in many of the TSA activities, would take on the role of CEO to deliver the association plans on a part-time basis.

Charles Betteridge, the TSA’s chairman said: “David enthusiastically stepped up to the task when we were looking for a new CEO, and his appointment brings a number of immediate benefits to the TSA. A long recruitment process could disconnect us further from the membership at a time when listening to our members must be our first priority.”

David has drawn-up a detailed two-year plan, during which time he will use his deep and intimate knowledge of the sector to help the TSA deliver what its members expect from their trade association.

Stevens said: “I am delighted to take on this challenging role and my key focus will initially be to make sure that the TSA delivers a vibrant and innovative programme of activities to engage the membership on both the supply chain and laundry side.”

Stevens spent more than 30 years in the commercial laundry business. He attended the UK’s only laundry-based higher education course, Laundry Technology and Management at Derby College, and then in 1982 joined the family laundry company Paragon as a production manager, before moving up to become general manager and then managing director in 1995.

Not shy of taking up new challenges, Stevens was one of the founding forces and later director of a leading national laundry conglomerate, the Brilliant Laundry Group. Having sold the family company in 2016 to CLEAN linen, Stevens maintains a consultancy business and is now in the position to take on this new and exciting role.