Conferred on him by the University of Westminster, the award was presented by the chairman of the Court of Governors, Sir Alan Thomas. The degree was in recognition of Ken’s lifetime achievements in the music industry.A veteran of 38 years in the music business, he became an acknowledged authority on vintage guitars in the early seventies, publishing one of the first works of reference on the subject - The History and Development of the American Guitar - in 1978. A long-standing business and personal relationship with Hartley Peavey started in 1973 when Achard became one of the initial export distributors for American music and sound equipment manufacturer, Peavey Electronics. In 1976, Peavey Electronics Ltd was incorporated in the UK and Ken Achard was appointed managing director.
For 23 years a Member of the Council of the Music Industries Association (MIA), Achard has worked tirelessly to promote music in education, supports the Prince’s Trust initiatives working with young people through music, and is a Trustee of the industry charity Music for All. He has served as a governor of Corby’s Brooke-Weston City Technology College, actively supports the Guitar Institute in London and numerous other college and University music programmes.
