The U.K. People Issue 2023

Five industry leaders are profiled in this annual special section.

In this issue, we are proud to bring you ELEVATOR WORLD UK’s second annual People Issue. As our company celebrates 70 years, we are excited to, again, look at the individuals who make our unique industry so special. This year’s group did not disappoint — each one has an extensive personal background in the industry, and two get it honest with a family history to look back on. With well over 100 years of combined vertical-transportation experience, the five people chosen for this special issue cover various industry roles and are from a wide array of U.K.-based companies. We are proud to tell you their stories and give them the attention they deserve, and we hope you enjoy learning more about them. If you know them, please let them know you saw their story and how proud you are of what they’ve accomplished! 

John Curzon

Curzon Creative Ltd.

“John Curzon is a serial entrepreneur and much sought-after leader in the elevator industry,” observes his business partner, wife and nominator Åsa Magnusson, who works alongside John at U.K.-based brand and communications consultancy Curzon Creative Ltd. With several business successes to his credit, John is a “forward-thinking, creative individual” who has successfully developed a variety of businesses in North America, Europe and Asia. In 2008, John was elected to the board of the National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC), holding the role of treasurer until 2012. He served as volunteer chair of NAEC’s International and New Directions committees and was instrumental in creating NAEC’s NexGen young leadership initiative. In September 2020, John joined American Elevator Group (AEG) as its vice president of marketing and communications. Prior to AEG, he held a similar position at Vantage Elevation, responsible for brand strategy and development, coupled with developing new sales channels for existing and new products. In addition to his engagement with AEG, John today operates as an independent consultant to the international elevator industry through Curzon Creative. The agency offers a unique, industry-tailored service that covers all aspects of brand development and communications, using a tried and tested process that has already underpinned remarkable success for several well-known elevator businesses. Magnusson says: 

“If you’re a leader in the elevator industry and haven’t yet had a chance to meet John, you will still no doubt be familiar with his work. Over the years, John has made a tremendous impact on a number of well-known industry businesses and transformed the way they present themselves and how they communicate with the market. John is a true visionary who enjoys the challenge of bringing out the best in an organisation and its people — and helps to create consistent business value every step of the way.”

Mark Harding

Ascension Lift Solutions

Mark Harding started working in engineering, building hydraulic coolers and air compressors, in 1993. He started in the industry with UK Lifts in 1999, completing his NVQ3 along with testing/technician modules, and then joined Abbey Liftcare Ltd. as a technician/tester in 2008. He then moved into the office environment as repairs manager and, later, operations manager. In 2016, Abbey Liftcare were acquired by Otis and became a subsidiary business under the Express Lift Co. banner. He was named director of Abbey Liftcare in 2017 before being named director of both Abbey Liftcare and PDERS, another subsidiary brand of Otis, in 2019. In 2022, he left and formed Ascension Lift Solutions, which carries out various works such as lift passenger release training, surveying, auditing and lift advisory works. In 2022, he also formed the Lift Industry Mental Health Charter, a registered community interest company run as a nonprofit to highlight mental health within the industry and promote mental health courses. Mark said: 

“Over the past few years, I have learnt a lot about my own strengths and weaknesses and when to ask for help. Having my own mental health struggles has made me stronger and more resilient. It’s also helped when dealing with challenging situations, as everything may not be as it seems when things don’t go right. Being open is not a weakness; it’s a strength, and when communicating with colleagues or customers, I always like to be open, which builds good relationships.”

He said one of his favourite parts about the industry is the variety of equipment and day-to-day problems. “The industry has many facets and is very diverse, but everyone appears to know each other and is generally very helpful when resolving problems,” he said, adding that has become more apparent to him in how the mental health charter has been so well-received, with 65 companies supporting it so far. “This goes to show the open and accepting minds of our industry,” he said.

Nancy Lycett

International Lift Equipment

Nancy Lycett began work for International Lift Equipment (ILE) in 2000. Prior to this, she was working in a London secondary school teaching Shakespeare. Her father, Derek Lycett, had been diagnosed with an aggressive Alzheimer condition and was not able to run the company he started in 1976. He was the “heart and mind” of ILE, contributing to industry sustainability with his work in establishing the British Lift Association. She originally planned a 12-month sabbatical; 23 years later, she is still with ILE and is now the managing director. “It has been an honour to continue Derek’s inspirational work to produce full lift packages, controllers and machine-room-less elevators designed and manufactured in the U.K for the U.K. market,” she said. “In the past 20 years, the challenge has been to keep moving. There has not been one year where we have not faced new technologies, new legislation or greater expectation.” Nancy has been fortunate to form essential alliances with a supply chain that supports ILE’s packages with third-party equipment. Through a partnership with GAL, she has been able to better understand the U.S. market and draw inspiration from visits to New York. Through an alliance with Prisma (now NBSL), ILE gained valuable exposure to European factories and automated production. Nancy said the best part of her job is leading a dynamic team: “Each day we strive to produce better solutions whilst remaining true to our ideals and being kind to each other.” As the world embraces technological advances, ILE continues progressing technology in the industry. She said: 

“I believe unequivocally that this is only possible if we can educate and influence the people we work with. ILE is now committed to training apprentices. We have much to learn from young people, and they from us. Perhaps I can no longer teach Shakespeare, but assisting the development of new ILE talent is my most important responsibility going forward.”

Omar Marfoua

Shorts Lifts

Omar Marfoua joined Shorts Lifts as a technical support engineer in 1991 and is now the Specialist Lifts & Services division manager. He earned a BSc in control and instrumentation from Bradford University and worked in the oil industry, specializing in procurement in Algeria, North Africa, for just over 10 years. Shorts supplies the industry with bespoke and special lifts and other projects, and as division manager, Omar’s main responsibilities are the sale, specification and design of special solutions: The team designs, supplies, installs and tests the products, all under the name of its clients, mainly the multinationals. Omar has been involved in a number of projects for Shorts over the years: The team created goods lifts for Intel’s Dublin manufacturing facility to meet application and environment U.K. specifications while starting with the original U.S. specifications. They succeeded, and the design is now used by Intel Middle East and Europe/Ireland. Another project for Bloomberg in London allowed for only a very small pit; with the help of an industry colleague, a new product, which Shorts now specialises in and was the first of its kind in the U.K., was created. Julie Black, who works with Shorts, said that Omar has become “the go-to person in the industry for knowledge” in his 32 years, adding: “Over the years, Omar has become the ‘man who can’ when it comes to awkward, painful and hard-to-pull-together projects. Due to his knowledge of products and services within the industry, it is rare that he cannot find a solution to a problem.”

Omar said: 

“The trust in me by my line managers has allowed me to feel free and take risks in daring to design and tackle anything, knowing that I will be backed. I have had the privilege of working with and being mentored by some of the greats of the lift industry in the U.K. and Europe that I now consider as friends.” 

Alastair Stannah

Stannah Group 

Alastair Stannah is a fifth-generation member of the Stannah family. As managing director of the Stannah Group’s lift distribution and service businesses in the U.K., he leads the division’s strategy with the aim to grow sustainably over the long term. Alastair joined the family business in 1997 after a brief stint in the City of London. During his 25-year career at Stannah, Alastair has worked across the business in a number of roles including fitter’s mate, technical sales engineer, assembly manager and general manager, giving him valuable insight. Alastair is currently responsible for the sale and installation of a wide range of lift solutions covering passenger lifts, platform lifts and goods and service lifts for both commercial and private customers across the U.K. He is also responsible for the maintenance and repair division, which services lifts and stairlifts installed by Stannah and other companies. Under his leadership, the business has seen continued growth with Stannah installing and servicing lifts at numerous public and commercial sites across the U.K. Passionate not only about the business but also the industry, Alastair has served as a board member of the Lift & Escalator Industry Association since 2008, and as president from 2020-2022. Like his sister Helen and his cousins Jon, Patrick and Nick, who are also part of the Stannah Group leadership team, Alastair is ardent about seeing the business stay true to the values established by their great-great-grandfather Joseph Stannah in the 1860s: He was passionate about his products’ quality and recognised the role of business in contributing to the greater good of society. Safety has been ingrained in the business since its founding, and Alastair continues the family commitment: This is the first priority in the Stannah lift businesses. With more than 150 years of heritage, Alastair is excited about the opportunities the business has today and the ability to create new milestones.