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I ’ d been married for about a year ; Sue , my wife , was Vidal ’ s secretary . Although life was good , work was great , we were living in London ’ s Regent ’ s Park , we decided the time was right for change .
We were on the brink of moving to New York and Montreal when Mr Hall talked to me about becoming the company ’ s Art Director . To use a football analogy , he wanted to buy a top player to make his team stronger all round . Thinking of our Sassoon demos ’ success , it struck me as a great opportunity to continue making great impact in the area , a natural progression .
So I moved to the Keith Hall company , working there 35 years in all , 1969 to 2004 , starting as Art Director and eventually becoming joint MD , moving on to own the company , along with another director , once Mr Hall retired . I guess I must have done something right ; we had four salons when I joined and 20 when I left ; the business is now managed by my son , Darren .
I owe Mr Hall very much ; he never restricted me , trusted me implicitly , gave me his blessing to get on with it , drive the staff and create a strong art team . One great accolade was being the first out-of-towners to present hairdressing shows to others , including early Salon International events . My Vidal Sassoon grounding stood me in good stead for this .
Although now officially retired from the salon world , my skills are still put great use as Creative Director for Racoon International and in particular , leading its artistic team , The RAT Pack . Twelve opened-minded , gifted individuals with a passion to share , bring the best out in each other , create great looks using hair extensions and spread the message of professionalism in everything they do .
Leading The RAT Pack enables me to express the greatest gift I have from my Sassoon and Keith Hall days : sharing everything I ’ ve learnt from the incredibly influential professionals I ’ ve worked with .
I don ’ t count myself to be the greatest hairdresser in the world , I ’ m not bad with my hands , but my greatest gift is watching others develop as a result of what I can show and tell them . It ’ s a philosophy that goes right back to early days with Vidal : teaching others and sharing skills for the betterment of individuals and hairdressing as a whole .
Stephen was Business Director of the Year at the Hairdressers ’ Journal ’ s Business Awards in 2000 ; Chairman of The Fellowship for British Hairdressing for four years ( 2000 – 2004 ). This premier trade organisation recognised Stephen ’ s career with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 . And 2012 saw Stephen being presented with The Fellowship Gold Medal – an honour only awarded twice before in The Fellowship ’ s 67 year history .
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