David Hatfield, former chairman of the Flatau Dick group, died on February 7 at the age of 76.
Born in 1930, David Hatfield entered the UK timber trade in the early 1950s, and after working for six months at the pine plywood factory Ocean, in France, and a further six months at a Swedish plywood mill, he joined Flatau Dick to develop its plywood and sheet materials department.
In the early days David secured UK representation for plywood mills in Scandinavia, particularly Finland, and the Baltic state,s notably Latvia, and Canada, where Flatau Dick held the agency for the Seaboard Mills. Romania, France and latterly New Zealand and Chile were countries where David had close connections. He retired from the Flatau Dick board in 1990.
David Hatfield was a strong supporter of the Timber Trade Federation and continued to serve it after his retirement. As chairman of the NPPA in 1976 he raised a few eyebrows by choosing a humorous, non trade after-dinner speaker for the NPPA dinner. However, in 1992 he was elected chairman again, by which time the after-dinner speakers’ credentials were firmly established. He was on the Federation’s Legal Protection and Panel Products Documentary Committees, and was a timber trade arbitrator from 1982-2003.
David spent his working life in the timber trade and was highly respected for his knowledge, integrity and prevailing good sense; his manner and experience will be sorely missed.
He is survived by his wife Angela, daughters Susie and Sarah, and son Charlie.
