Beauty industry pays respect to former HABIA CEO, Alan Goldsbro

As many in the professional beauty industry mourn the passing of Alan Goldsbro, former CEO of HABIA, Marian Newman BEM shares her experience & journey with this great man – who she calls ‘The architect of the modern nail industry’…

On 7 October, a message popped into my inbox from an old and dear friend, Alan Goldsbro. It read, “I’ve just been diagnosed with terminal cancer and have weeks, rather than months left. So, it’s bye from me. Love Alan.”

His consultant was correct as, very sadly, Alan died on Monday 16 November, very peacefully and surrounded by his family. I know that during those last few weeks he was very busy and supported, as always, by his wonderful wife, Jane.

Alan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2010 and shortly after retired from the post of CEO of HABIA, a role he’d embraced for over 23 years. He did a lot to support other sufferers of this horrible disease, so how cruel to then develop cancer himself.

I have called him, ‘The architect of the modern nail industry’ – and let me explain why…

Several decades ago, I was doing some work with Wallace S. Sharps, creator of the Health and Beauty Therapy Training Board, and founder of VTCT. The beginning of what we now know as the National Occupational Standards and leading to the structure of the first National Vocational Qualification’s (NVQ’s) started at this time. I was asked to help with all things ‘nails’.

At this time, the framework of adult education was changing and industry authorities were born as bodies regulated by government, which created and owned the NOS that were provided to the relevant awarding bodies e.g. VTCT, City & Guilds, CIBTAC etc.

The Beauty Industry Authority (BIA) was created and The Hairdressing Training Board also existed at this time. Alan was originally the training and development director with both organisations and later the CEO. In the 1990’s he was instrumental in merging the two bodies and the Hairdressing and Beauty Industry Authority (HABIA) was born. He was passionate about standards and elevating all the hair and beauty sectors. He’d proved his expertise in hair, and now his might was brought to bear for the wider industry.

Habia (note small letters then), started life with a couple of staff in a house in Doncaster back in 1998. I travelled up there many times to discuss what was needed for the specialist nail industry qualifications.

Under Alan’s guidance, Habia grew and formed into a large team of hardworking people that made it a global standards setting body, providing qualifications to many countries. At one point it moved to massive offices and meeting rooms at Robin Hood Airport, in which it resided for many years. I took many trips there for countless meetings.

I met Alan at the start of the potential merger and what a feisty, outspoken Yorkshireman he was with a heart of gold. I’d tried for a long time to bring nail qualifications out from under the beauty therapy umbrella, as it was a career in its own right, and beauty didn’t really want nails in its sector.

Alan was the first person to see the value of this. So, after I’d sat in on endless beauty-focused meetings as the ‘nails’ representative, Alan, with his usual determination, managed to get ‘the powers that be’ in government to agree and provide the funding to develop a suite of NOS just for nails.

He made me the chairperson of the first Nail Services Forum. Between us we had fought long and hard to make this happen and he did it! Now we had a recognised career for nail technicians (or nail professionals, the more recent term).

I believe he was ‘The architect of the modern nail industry’. We all have a lot to thank him for. He believed in us when others didn’t.

I, personally, have a lot to thank him for also. He persuaded the then, vocational publishers to commission a textbook exclusively on nails. He won the support of the awarding bodies and then persuaded me to write it. (It didn’t take much persuading.)

That first book was published in 2001 and its currently in its 4th edition. While Alan was still in office he wrote the foreword in each of my books; words that I treasure. Therefore, he’s also been one of the architects of my career.

Clearly, Alan wasn’t all about nails. He and his team achieved amazing things over the years; he elevated standards for all, while managing to keep to the very strict guidelines of OFQUAL. He opened up new opportunities and collaborations across the UK, as well as all over the world, making the UK a leading voice in the quality of education and standards.

Jane, all our thoughts are with you and your family. I’m happy to be sharing a little of what he did for all of us in this wonderful industry – an industry we are all so passionate about.

Many great people have worked with him over the years and share their words…

He was a tenacious visionary; he knew by joining beauty with hair and forming HABIA the larger footprint would give both industries more clout with government and more kudos generally. He fought for excellence in the educational standards and qualifications delivered in the UK and was also feted internationally. He put together a board made up of hair and beauty industry leaders who believed in what HABIA was trying to achieve and believed in Alan’s ability to achieve it.

For the nail industry he will be remembered as the man who led the way in separating it from beauty and giving it its own identity.

He will be remembered as a dedicated and driven man who all our industries have much to be grateful for.  

Gill Morris founding & board director of HABIA, commercial director of Sterex, chair of BIAChair of C&G National Advisory Committee for Beauty, industry consultant, author

I’m privileged to have worked with Alan over a number of years, having been a board member of both the BIA and then HABIA. Alan was passionate about the hair and beauty industry and campaigned, tirelessly, for recognition and raising of standards within these sectors. Under his leadership, HABIA became an international standard-setting body and was seen by government as the voice of the hair and beauty industry. He will be sadly missed.

Penny Turvey, former chairman of BABTAC and HABIA

We met Alan on a number of occasions at HABIA HQ. A warm, humorous guy who embodied what HABIA stood for. Without Alan and his forward thinking and listening, we would never have had nails as a stand-alone treatment within our industry. We’re very sad to lose him and wish Jane love and respect at this sad time. 

Samantha & Samuel Sweet – Sweet Squared