About Us

Cath lives in Silsden which she loves, and her job with us involves stock control and sales orders. She has worked at King Cole since 1977 and still has her shade book from then! Cath left for 3 years in 1989 to have her son, then came back in 1992 and has been here ever since. She considers herself very lucky as she has loved every minute of it. Cath visits Hornsea often and thinks of it as her second home. She can knit and crochet and likes both tea and coffee.

Dan is from Scotland – he’ll tell you it’s the “land of plenty, beauty, whisky… shame about the neighbours”. He’s in charge of Finance as he’s got a background as a Chartered Accountant and works closely with Diane and Suzanne. He started working for us only two weeks after his eldest daughter was born so it’s not like he didn’t have enough on! Dan likes to be busy! Before that, he worked for private investors looking after their investments in start-ups & SMEs. He takes coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon – both strong & with milk.

Diane from Keighley has been with us for 25 years for the second time around. She originally started at 18 years old, then left to have her two children and came back in 1994. Her role with us is purchase ledger/sales. She is learning to knit and is in the middle of making a gnome for her granddaughter. Diane is a coffee addict at around 10 cups a day and takes it with milk and two sugars.

Joanne is from ‘Sutton-In-Craven’ and is the Pattern Reader/Responder for King Cole, but her role has lots of little side jobs such as dealing with the designers and arranging for samples to be made for the shows and the reps. She has been with us since January 2017. Joanne knits and crochets, and loves both crafts equally. She also loves patchwork, embroidery, x-stitch, and gardening. Choosing colours to put together whether it is yarn, fabric or flowers is one of her favourite pass times. She also drinks both tea and coffee and enjoys both equally. Why limit yourself to just one thing!

Jo, our UK Sales Manager, is part of the product development team and is a former retailer in our industry. Having spent almost 11 years running her own fabric & wool shop she has great insight into our retailer’s needs and expectations. Jo likes her tea weak, but would prefer a G&T or a good bottle of red wine!

Laura grew up in Embsay and went to secondary school in Skipton. After an eight-year stint working as a Print Designer in London, she made the move back to Yorkshire. She’s been working as a Sales Support Administrator for us since June 2019. She works alongside Saúl and Andrew on the export team as well as some of the main house accounts. Laura recently learned to knit and has a Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern Degree so definitely does have an interest in creating. If you ask if she’d like a brew, she’ll answer with Yorkshire tea all the way – but her favourite drink is a Pink Gin & Tonic with an ice and slice.

Originally from Bradford, Mike has lived in the Yorkshire Dales for 20 years. He was a Director of King Cole before acquiring it in a management buyout in 2003. Mike is involved in various parts of the business helping with the buying, selling and product development. He especially enjoys visiting our customers both in the UK and abroad and learning how we can do things better. Outside of work, he can often be found walking his dogs in the Dales.

Morgan, originally from Texas, has been with us since 2019 and works on the marketing team as a graphic designer. She handles print and digital assets like magazine adverts and web banners. She keeps all content on-brand including shopping for hot pink lamps and clocks for the office. Morgan knits and is working on her first crochet project which will be a rainbow blanket. Morgan takes her coffee strong and black.

Reay joined the company in August 2021, initially working in Operations alongside Mike Wilson. Prior to this, he served as an officer in the Royal Regiment of Scotland. As of January 2023, he has taken on the role of Export Manager, with a focus on continuing to expand the business beyond the UK. In his free time, Reay enjoys outdoor activities such as cycling, running, skiing, and more. Reay’s idea of a perfect day involves hill walking with Sarah, his wife, and their young children. When it comes to his favourite beverages, he likes his coffee black and his ales pale.

Saúl from Spain has been with us since 2018 working in the warehouse. He joined the Export Team in 2022 and works closely with Laura and Andrew and all of our stockists around the world. In his spare time he can be found walking around Leeds catching Pokémon. He takes his coffee black and loves a lager.

Sue joined us in April 2021 and works as Sales Support Administrator. Born & Bred in Keighley she now lives in Cowling. Before she joined us she was a school administrator of a local secondary school. She can often be found either going for a walk in the countryside or helping her dad with his allotment. Her favourite drink is a nice cold G&T of any flavour but she’s partial to a glass of rosé.

Carl, a member of our marketing and digital team, lives King Coles hometown of Skipton and was a freelance designer/photographer before he joined us in May 2021. His favourite place is on top of a mountain in the Dales or Lakes with a camera unless there’s DIY to do in the house. He’s been a massive Star Wars fan since the age of 11. His first cuppa of the day is a tea with two bags in!

Sam lives in Keighley but grew up in a little village called Wilsden. She’s been with us since January 2018 working on reception as sales support, order processing and customer enquiries. Sam’s obsessed with horses and she rides every weekend. They’re a lifelong commitment, but she loves it. She takes her tea with milk – no sugar as she’s sweet enough.

Working as a receptionist, Sue handles Telesales, Customer Service and complaints. Hailing from Steeton, West Yorkshire, Sue has been with us since August 1986. After four and a half years with us, she decided to follow other passions, but then eight years later she contacted King Cole for a reference and instead, we asked if she would like her old job back as a receptionist! So she came back part-time as her son was starting school and the rest is history.

Susan is from London originally, but spent her childhood in the states and has been in Yorkshire for over thirty years. She has been with us since 2017 and works in sales and pattern support. Arguably a pro knitter, she has been knitting since she was a child, but her crochet is a little bit haphazard. She used to be a computer science teacher and she takes decaf tea and coffee, as she’s naturally energetic.

Andrew, our new Export Manager from Ilkley in the Wharfedale Valley was previously a domestic and international lead for a major sports nutrition brand. He works closely with Saúl and Laura looking after our international stockists. His passions include health and well-being with yoga, going to the gym, and now knitting! He likes a pale ale or a protein shake, and occasionally a cheeky Babycham!

She has been with us for about 14 years, she works in marketing, handling the post, coordinates with designers and organises samples and garments for our sales representatives. She also keeps track of stock adjustments. Susan is from Steeton and she’s in the process of knitting her first scarf. She loves a bit of shopping, bingo and also does cross stitch. She takes her tea with milk and sugar – hot water in first, then sugar, then milk.

Suzanne is originally from Edinburgh, though with her accent you’d never know. She has been with us since March 2019, before that she had admin jobs and she’s also worked in a bank. Suzanne works on the accounts side of the business alongside Diane and Dan. She has recently learned both knitting and crochet! She takes her coffee with sweetener.

Damon Fern

Debbie Wood

Steve Payne

Jamie Don

Joanne Fry

Leanne Briffitt

Mike Bastow: Sales Agent

Ruth Brown

Aldo Pellegrini