Glass Sellers announce appointments of industry figureheads

Matthew Demmon becomes the Company’s 281st Master. He has held senior batch and furnace roles at Rockware Glass (now Ardagh Group), Dema Glass, Guardian Glass and Quinn Glass (now Encirc), and is a former President of British Glass. Since entering the glass recycling sector in 2006, Matthew has worked with Recresco and Viridor and later founded MKD32, supporting Scottish manufacturers in procuring waste glass containers for export to European recyclers.

“The Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers is in a great place,” said Mr Demmon. “We are growing our membership at a pace not seen for many years, while maintaining a strong presence in the Square Mile and across the glass industry, supported by a network second to none. I wholeheartedly encourage glass professionals to engage with us – they won’t be disappointed!”.

Stuart Hakes succeeds Brian Scott-Picton as Chair of the Company’s Glass Committee, following Brian’s leadership which has guided a positive transformation and elevated the Company’s presence in the glass sector. Stuart began his glass career over 50 years ago at Key Glass (now O-I) in the UK and went on to hold senior manufacturing roles across the ACI Group in Australasia and Asia. Since 1999, he has been CEO of electric glass melting systems supplier F.I.C. (UK) Limited. Stuart served as President of the Society of Glass Technology from 2019 to 2023 and was awarded Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his outstanding service.

Working alongside committee members with expertise across all glass sectors, Matthew and Stuart will continue to build on recent initiatives that promoted glass in all its guises. Key activities in 2025 included partnering with British Glass, the Glass & Glazing Federation and Glass Futures to host a UK Glass and Glazing Collective Parliamentary Reception at the House of Commons to highlight the sector’s role in the UK’s industrial and net-zero future.

The Glass Sellers and the Glass Sellers’ Charity also continued their long-standing support for education and excellence in the glass industry by sponsoring the Rising Star Awards at the Glass Focus 2025 ceremony and providing bursaries to support education across schools in the UK.