Sean Sutcliffe co-founded Benchmark, one of the UK's leading furniture-makers, with Terence Conran in 1984. Today Benchmark are a powerhouse of craft; with workshops in Berkshire and Dorset employing over 60 craftsmen and designers, and a client base that includes many of the world's leading architects and designers.

Sean cares deeply about environmental sustainability and craftsmanship and has been a champion of the health and well-being benefits of using solid timber furniture in both commercial and residential settings for 40 years. Over the last 10 years, Benchmark have pioneered and invested in Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) and Declare labelling to provide clear and unambiguous information about the materials used in their furniture and the impact it has on our environment and our health.

Benchmark runs an award-winning apprenticeship scheme and has trained over 60 apprentices over the last 35 years.  Sean has served as an Ambassador for Apprenticeship to Number 10 during Tony Blair’s leadership.  Benchmark have three times won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise – twice for Sustainable Development and once for International Trade, and last year was the one of the first companies in the UK to be awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development.