Barry Dodd CBE – Chairman of the GSM Group which includes the brand Ioniser-Pro, is one of those rare individuals with the drive, expertise and talent to grow a business he started in his garage into a global manufacturer.
After school education in the USA, Barry Dodd began working life as a graduate trainee with ICI and spent five years within ICI management working in New York, London and Teesside. He left when the urge to work for himself got the better of him.
He co-founded his first company GSM Graphic Arts Ltd in Thirsk in 1974. Through organic growth and many acquisitions over 25 years, Wetherby based GSM Group has become the largest manufacturer of graphic production in Europe, employing over 400 people on three continents and all without borrowing a penny.
Mr Dodd committed himself many years ago to devote at least one day per week to unpaid public service.
Current public sector activities include:
- Membership in the high powered UK Automotive Industry Council.
- Pro-chancellor and chair of council of the University of Hull.
- Chair of the joint Hull York Medical School.
- Chair of the York and North Yorkshire with East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) a business-led partnership with the public sector whose mission is to help businesses.
In 2006 he was awarded an OBE, which was later upgraded to a CBE and for over 3 years he has been the Lord-Lieutenant for North Yorkshire – the Queen’s representative in that county.
Speaking of his win, he said “it’s a huge honour to get such a prestigious award from a very vibrant business community. That’s what I thought on the night, when there was such a buzz in the royal hall.”
“Harrogate is such a super place to do business and it’s an exciting time because I have never seen so much business opportunity.
