A study newly-released by the British market research company Plimsoll has categorised the 2086 directors working in the UK leather industry into a number of distinct personality types including:

• Mr Average. The study found that the average director in the leather trade is 52 years old, has been in the job for over eight years and earns a salary of £42,000.

• Old Hats. Against the background of a 6% annual turnover directors, almost 53% or 1111 have held their position for a decade or more. 623 (or 30%) are over 60 years old, suggesting problems ahead for their respective employers as they reach retirement.

• Marathon Runners. If the industry has an ageing set of leaders, there was no evidence to suggest that this is harming company performance. Of those companies being run by over sixty-year olds, 45% were successful businesses (i.e. they had been given a ‘strong’ or ‘good’ financial rating by Plimsoll). This compares favourably with the industry average of 41%.

• Young Guns. 165 directors working in the leather trade are under 35, 34% or whom are working for successful businesses. 49 have been appointed within the last 24 months.

In all, seven personality types are defined and the analysis concludes by saying there is a close correlation between company performance and the performance of its senior directors.

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