In loving memory of Graham Allen
by Henri-Lloyd 12 Mar 16:44 UTC
April 4th 1965 - March 8th 2025
It is with great sadness that we announce that Graham Allen has passed away at the age of 59. For Graham, becoming the Chief Executive Officer at Henri-Lloyd was the pinnacle of a 34-year career throughout which his dedication, passion and unwavering enthusiasm for the company never waned.
Graham started at Henri-Lloyd in 1991 as Marketing Manager and was recruited directly by Mr Henri himself, after applying to an advert in the Manchester Evening News newspaper. With a diploma in Marketing and previous marketing experience gained at retirement home specialist McCarthy Stone, he worked closely with founder Henri Strzelecki's sons Paul and Martin. Graham immediately impressed them with his thoroughness and attention to detail, despite a lack of knowledge about boats! In fact, Paul recalls, if he could avoid going onto a boat, he would.
Offered the opportunity to increase his knowledge of fabric technology, Graham moved from Henri-Lloyd to Germany to be employed by fabric manufacturer Sympatex. When describing this period away from Henri-Lloyd, Graham always joked that he was "given ten years off for good behaviour".
Returning to the UK, Graham joined a marketing agency working for Henri-Lloyd before moving back in-house to take up the role as Marketing Director. Graham took on responsibility for the retail division of Henri-Lloyd and the development of its footwear range, alongside the highly successful yachting, boating, sports and leisure
clothing.
As part of the senior Henri-Lloyd team, Graham played a key role in the growth enjoyed by Henri-Lloyd as the brand was adopted into the mainstream fashion and celebrity world and with high profile international sponsorships. This included Henri-Lloyd being the sole clothing supplier from 2003-2007 to Oracle BMW in the America's Cup held in Valencia.
This was a new venture for Henri-Lloyd which required setting up international merchandising and mobile retail outlets - a multi-faceted and complicated role which Graham undertook with relish and delivered in an extremely efficient way.
In his role as Commercial Director, Graham also helped break new ground in Formula 1 with Henri-Lloyd's sponsorship of Brawn GP, and the development of team and technical clothing for Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg for Mercedes GP Petronas.
Throughout his career, Graham left long-lasting impressions on those he worked with. Although a tough task master, he embodied a 'work hard, play hard' ethos and is remembered for his over-riding passion, determination, ability to quickly adapt to change and for his problem-solving skills.
A lifelong Manchester City fan, it was said that he endured a 'terrible time' in the company which was, at that time, dominated by Manchester United fans - but his loyalty paid off, and City's rise to dominance was finally regarded as a positive outcome for him.
Graham always had the ability to engage with and listen to those he worked with, and for many he became a trusted mentor and advisor. He will be remembered by many in the industry as always being generous with his time and support especially for those starting in their careers where his advice, thoughtfulness and friendship helped many grow in their own confidence and abilities. Often quoted as being "the best boss ever", there are many who will say that it was a "privilege to have worked with him".
Throughout his working career, Graham's humour and passion shone through. He had an incredible passion for Henri-Lloyd - and it was this strong belief in the core values and integrity of the company that saw him through a challenging period when the company went into administration in 2018 with the head office and main company functions moving to Sweden. This, combined with a new approach to retailing initiated by the new company owners, ultimately contributed to Henri-Lloyd being sold to Monte Rosa Sport (MRS) where Graham remained as Henri-Lloyd Country Manager in the UK.
It was a mark of the respect shown to Graham for his honesty and integrity throughout this period that, when the decision was made to move Henri-Lloyd's head office back to the UK, Graham's skills, knowledge and passion for the company were reflected in his appointment as Chief Executive Officer, working closely with the Board and Executive Chairman Knut Frostad. With grit and determination, he started to rebuild his team and re-establish a sales network for his beloved brand.
"Graham was so excited about the new ownership and bringing Henri-Lloyd back to greatness" Knut Frostad, Executive Chairman at Henri-Lloyd said.
"He was a true gentleman and an encyclopaedia of the company. He greatly affected me with his passion, and I will be forever grateful for being able to tap into his vast knowledge. Even when Graham became more unwell his enthusiasm for the company never wavered, and he wanted to know what was happening in the company. He will be sorely missed by everyone and represents all that Henri-Lloyd stands for."
Graham was intimately involved with all elements of the design, development and manufacturing of the new Henri-Lloyd sailing range which was launched to high acclaim in 2023. With the brand once again in the ascendancy, he was able to hand-pick his team and had the utmost pleasure in seeing the successful return of the brand internationally.
Graham's deep respect for Mr Henri and his life story always shone through. One of his core beliefs in business was for authenticity and Graham was a proud narrator of the Henri-Lloyd story, how the company was set up and its achievements spanning seven decades. There was no better champion of the brand when he had a captive listening
audience.
Henri-Lloyd's values were always rooted in family, something that Graham could easily connect with having a loving wife and family at home that he was extremely proud of. His sons were closely involved with the company, often coming into the office or working at boat shows, events or in the retail stores. When his incurable cancer was diagnosed, Graham immediately stepped back from his day-to-day role as Chief Executive Officer at Henri-Lloyd in order to spend his remaining time with his wider family.
Graham would have celebrated his 60th birthday this April. He leaves behind his wife, Donna, and his three sons, Ethan, Joe and Kyle.
On behalf of all the team at Henri-Lloyd, we send our love and support to you all during this difficult time. Graham was an amazing man and will forever be a part of Henri-Lloyd.