Obituary: Malcolm Polley
The late Malcolm Polley with the Optrafair team
Former colleagues and friends have paid tribute to optical stalwart Malcolm Polley, who has sadly passed away.
Malcolm Polley spent 65 years of his life working with – and for – the profession and industry. He began his working life making tortoiseshell frames for Baileys, a manufacturer in Hadleigh, Essex, and soon progressed to working at the prestigious Clifford Brown in Sloane Square where he stayed for 11 years.
Keen to further explore the manufacturing and marketing side of optics, Malcolm joined Martin Wells and was soon snapped up by Norville in October 1974, moving his family from Essex to Gloucestershire.
His 32 years – first as sales manager and then as sales and marketing director at Norville – enabled Malcolm to develop his superb skills of team leadership, and bringing new products to market. A constant flow of new innovations from Norville arrived during those years; the Varilux lenses and launch of Laura Ashley Eyewear were highlights. Sports eyewear was another area in which the company excelled. These products were a first in terms of marking new ground for optics with a move into fashion, premium lens design and safety with style. Malcom soon built a strong team around him at Gloucester.
Malcolm was awarded a Honorary Fellowship of ABDO in 2012.
Kevin Gutsell, ABDO vice president, said: “I first met Malcolm in the early 2000s when he was chairman of the Federation of Manufacturing Opticians [FMO] and got to know him better when I joined the FMO board, with Malcolm the CEO. He was a very knowledgeable individual with a calming influence, which certainly helped a newcomer to this arena. When I took over the almost impossible job of replacing him in as CEO in 2014 – albeit for a short time – he did his utmost to guide me and pass on to me all and every bit of information he could regarding the FMO and what being the CEO really entailed. I could not have asked for a better person at this time. Thanks Malcolm.”
Frank Noville commented: “Malcolm was a key part of the wonderful world of optics and was a steadfast team player as optics grew through the closing years of the 20th century. He was always willing to go the extra mile and was respected by so many throughout manufacturing and retail industry. He will be greatly missed – a friend of 50 years.”
Sue Graham, Malcolm’s secretary of 20 years, said: “Malcolm dedicated his life to Norville and to optics. He led a superb sales team. He always put optics first and was a very good boss. I worked with Malcolm Polley from 1987 until he retired his directorship with Norville and joined the FMO. He was an excellent director, motivator and was fun to work with. Those who worked with Malcolm were inspired to form their own optical companies or take directorships within the optical industry. All in all, a stalwart in optics.”
Philip Richardson, sales manager at Norville, said: “Malcolm was always so much more than a boss to us – he was like a father. He was so supportive and encouraging – he just put a big arm around us all, and it is for those reasons that we worked for him. He certainly led from the front.”
Peter Turner also worked with Malcolm at Norville. He said: “We worked together growing Norville, mainly with our famous roadshows covering all points of England, Wales and Scotland even the Channel Islands, something many of our competitors then followed. We remained friends ever since.”
Retirement from Norville was certainly not retirement from optics, for as chairman of the FMO, the board realised they had something special in Malcolm and invited him to take on the role of chief executive in 2006.
Apart from leading the FMO into sound financial waters, Malcolm took the helm of staging Optrafair for years which saw great consolidation. His commitment to ensuring that the Birmingham event was always an all-embracing show and educational forum – with sometimes less than harmonious optical partners drawn together – benefitted the world of optics.
Andrew Actman, past FMO chairman praised Malcolm’s leadership, saying” “Through our work together at the FMO, I found Malcolm to be a highly skilful gentleman – always fair, always willing to listen and good to have on your side in negotiations.”
A very unassuming chap, Malcolm had more strings to his bow than just optics; he was Captain of the Boys Brigade in Essex during the 1970s and on moving to Gloucester, he coached Gloucester and then the West of England Hockey team during the 1980s.
Graham Coates, a Norville colleague from the 1970s, added: “You can be remembered for being a good business leader, or an ambassador of lenses, but Malcolm was, himself, a very good hockey player and played matches all over the country. He was also great fun to be with.”
Malcolm leaves a wife Jean, two daughters, a son and their families.
With thanks to Janice English.