Campaign for Wool names new chairman following Peter Ackroyd's passing

Ian Maclean has been appointed chairman of the Campaign for Wool, succeeding the late Peter Ackroyd, who died unexpectedly in July 2026 after serving as chairman since January 2025.

Maclean’s appointment was unanimously backed by the organisation's Funders’ Board. He brings extensive experience across UK manufacturing, fashion and textiles to the organisation, as well as global wool supply chains.

He currently chairs family-owned knitwear company John Smedley Ltd, which holds two Royal Warrants, and has previously served on the board of UKFT for 12 years, chaired the Textile Committee for The Clothworkers’ Company and was chair of The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust from 2022 to 2025. He was awarded an MBE in 2020 for his company’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and services to the UK textile industry.

Maclean takes up the role during Wool Month, the campaign’s annual October programme bringing together farmers, manufacturers, designers, brands, retailers and consumers around wool’s applications across fashion, interiors and artisan products.

This year, the campaign is placing increasing emphasis on wool’s traceability, responsible land management, animal welfare, recycling and circularity, alongside its natural and renewable qualities.

In a statement, Maclean said: “It is a great honour to be appointed chairman of the Campaign for Wool. Wool has such an important role to play in the future of textiles, with its natural, renewable and biodegradable qualities making it increasingly relevant as we seek more sustainable materials and more responsible ways of producing and consuming.”

The Campaign for Wool was established by His Majesty King Charles III in 2008 and formally launched in 2010 to promote wool and support woolgrowers across major producing regions including the British Isles, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.