In Loving Memory of David Winn OBE

It is with profound sadness that we share the news that Company Chairman of Winn & Coales International Ltd, David Winn OBE, passed away on the 21st of September 2020.

David Winn, the grandson of founder Paul Winn, joined the company 55 years ago in 1965. He had a long and distinguished career at Winn & Coales, serving as Deputy Chairman from 1968-1991 and Managing Director from 1988-1995. When Frank Coales passed away in 1991, he became Chairman of the company and held this position for 29 years until his passing in September 2020.

During his time as Chairman of Winn & Coales International, the Group grew substantially with seven subsidiaries around the world and a network of dedicated distributors and agents. In the last decade, the Group won three Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in International Trade, recognising its growth in world sales. These notable successes were achieved in 2010, 2015 and 2017.

David Winn had many wonderful and notable qualities, one that shone through was his charitable nature. He was awarded an OBE on the 12th of May, 1995 by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales for being a Governor of West Norwood College for 24 years and for successful fund raising for Eastbourne College.

He was also Chairman of the Trustees of the National Missing Persons Helpline for many years. David Winn hosted a variety of fundraisers at his residence in Twickenham, London for The Missing Persons Helpline and contributed a great amount of his time and resources to the Charity.

One of his passions was for his old school, Eastbourne College. He served as College Governor from 1982-2015, College Vice-President from 2016-2020, Chairman of the OEA from 1980-2001, President of the OEA from 2002-2012, and President of the Eastbournian Society from 2012-2020. He remains one of the College’s greatest benefactors and recently had a building on campus named after him in 2019. The Winn Building is a new, purpose-built facility featuring an array of state-of-the-art amenities.

David Winn had a large, joyful and generous personality with a fantastic sense of humour. He made the time for everyone in the company and enriched the lives of all who knew him. He was a truly remarkable man who leaves behind a great legacy; he leaves behind his much loved children and grandchildren; and he will be deeply missed by his colleagues, friends and family.

Winn & Coales International has only had three Chairman since it was established in 1883, quite remarkable for a company that has been trading for 137 years.  It remains a private, family owned company and the family are fully committed to ensuring his memory will live on through the business as they continue to follow his lead and take the company from strength to strength.