Michelle Saunders, sales manager for Codelocks, has been promoted to the role of Community Hub vice chair by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI).
Saunders served as the vice chair for GAI's North Central Hub in 2024 (a position she again held concurrently with her commercial responsibilities at the lock manufacturer), and inherits an expanded, national remit that will involve working with members and volunteers to promote the guild's wider goals - including creating friendly, professional and supportive regional groups that connect and help architectural ironmongery professionals advance their careers.
As a facilitator for Codelocks’ training courses since 2023, Saunders has helped locksmiths and other access control specialists deepen their knowledge of the company's product lines.
She has also been the driving force behind ’On the Road Locks' training, an initiative that makes training accessible to more people by delivering it on-site at various locations in the UK.
Codelocks’ UK managing director, Joanne Milne-Rowe, says: “I’m a champion of CPD and a champion of Michelle.
She is one of the most knowledgeable people I have the pleasure to work with, and she’s an essential pillar supporting Codelocks’ value of putting customers first.
The knowledge, insight and support that she shares with Codelocks’ customers is something that I’m confident the GAI regional community hubs will now also benefit from.”
Saunders adds: “Our industry has incredible knowledge and experience that is best shared through face-to-face training and networking, not just online content.
I’m eager to push that agenda forward.
“I’ve worked with a broad range of people, in many roles and in many sectors, and that experience has given me a strong understanding of the skills and approach I’ll need to bring to my new role.
It’s a chance to share some of Codelocks’ institutional knowledge with the wider architectural ironmongery community, and I’m keen to get started.”
