Meet the Knitwire Team

Stephen Forber

Managing Director

Stephen is the son of the company founders, Eric and Audrey Forber. Stephen is a trained Engineer and is involved in many of the operations within the factory including the building and maintenance of our numerous machines as well as the production of some of our products.

Stephen enjoys long drives on fast roads on his Triumph Rocket III Grinall trike.

Tim Forber

Director

Tim has grown up surrounded by knitting machines. Tim has involvement in the company marketing decisions and general day-to-day business strategy. Tim has a passion for environmental health and is dedicated to creating an eco-friendly factory.

Alongside this, Tim also has a passion for snowboarding in the Alps and enjoys playing rugby.

Declan Horn

Distinctive Products Manager

Declan is the youngest manager in our family, after being awarded the title for his commitment, enthusiasm and hard work. Declan manages the production of some of our most popular products and is involved in the design of new products for solution-based sales. Declan is also a trained engineer and has extensive knowledge of our machines and product designs.

In his spare time, Declan likes to meet up with friends to go to his favourite restaurants – TGI Fridays and Bem Brasil.

Email: Declan_horn@knitwire.com

Phone: +44 (0) 1928 566 996 ext. 221

Mobile: +44 (0) 7851 251 660

Neil Simpson

Production Manager

Neil is a Knitwire OG with over 30 years of experience under his belt. If Neil doesn’t know the answer, then it is not worth knowing. Neil plans the production of every order that comes through the door, from giant Demisters to knitted wire mesh rolls. Most of all, Neil enjoys finding solutions for challenging orders.

Neil feels happiest when he is outdoors and often takes trips in his campervan or to see his daughter at university.

Email: Neil_simpson@knitwire.com

Phone: +44 (0) 1928 566 996 ext. 210

Kasia Jakubowska

Business Overview Leader

Kasia works closely with the company directors to control costings and ensure a smooth operation. Kasia started work in the knitting department and quickly became one of our strongest knitting machine operators and our go-to teacher for training any new starters. Since this, Kasia has proven her dedication and has worked her way up.

Email: Kasia_jakubowska@knitwire.com

Phone: +44 (0) 1928 566 996 ext. 204

Ann-Marie Forber

Company Accountant

Alongside managing our company accounts, Ann-Marie also has a wide knowledge of our products and processes. Ann-Marie has been with us for over 30 years and also manages our HR. You can find Ann-Marie in our office on Monday, Wednesday and Friday when she isn’t managing her other business, what a busy lady!

Ann-Marie’s happy place is driving round Chapman’s Peak, Cape Town, in an open top car on her way to ‘Delish’ in Hout Bay for her breakfast.

Email: Annmarie_forber@knitwire.com

Phone: +44 (0) 1928 566 996 ext. 201

John Waddington

Quality Manager

John is a recent but valuable addition to our family. John has 25 years of experience in quality management, having previously worked for Bosch Pharmaceutical. John has a trained eye for catching quality issues before they develop into real problems, and is a friendly contact for customers who may have concerns.

Johns passions lie with his motorbike and his love of music, both listening and performing!

Email: John_waddington@knitwire.com

Phone: +44 (0) 1928 566 996 ext. 220

Spike Forber

Engineer

Spike is the youngest Forber in our family. Spike works hard to ensure that our knitting machines are always fully operational and working to the absolute best of their ability. Spike is currently busy building new machines to increase our capacity for new orders!

Spike spends his spare time (even his dinner time!) shredding solo’s on his 1959 Gibson Les Paul in Cherry Burst.

Email: Spike_forber@knitwire.com