Codelocks sales manager Michelle Saunders has been promoted to Community Hub vice chair by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI). The move comes in recognition of her expertise, industry knowledge, and ongoing service to the architectural ironmongery community.
Having previously been appointed to the position of vice chair for the North Central Hub in 2024, Saunders’s promotion to a national position expands her remit and underscores her expertise and abilities as a knowledge champion and facilitator.
In her new role, which she holds alongside her position at Codelocks, Saunders will work closely with GAI members and volunteers to promote the GAI’s wider goals. This includes creating friendly, professional, and supportive regional groups that connect architectural ironmongery professionals and help them to advance their careers.
Since 2023, Michelle has been the central facilitator of Codelocks’ training courses, helping locksmiths and other access control specialists deepen their knowledge of Codelocks’ product lines. She has also been the driving force behind Codelocks’ 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, said: “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’s value of putting customers first. The knowledge, insight and support that she shares with Codelocks’s customers is something that I’m confident the GAI regional community hubs will now also benefit from.”
Michelle Saunders commented on her appointment, saying: “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.”
“At Codelocks, 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.”
