International Creative Director of Saco, Richard Ashforth began his hairdressing career the traditional way in his home town of Sheffield, where he trained under local hairdresser Robert Taylor. This gave him a solid grounding in the world of dressing hair using traditional techniques. His passion for hair led to him joining Vidal Sassoon where he stayed for almost 20 years, becoming Creative Director of UK schools.

Following his time at Vidal Sassoon, Richard opened the first Saco salon with Charmaine Piche six years ago and the company now has salons and academies in London, Montreal and San Diego, with a new salon planned in Bordeaux. The company also has a range of DVDs and education services and Richard produces an annual collection. The latest, Curve was launched at Salon International in London in 2010, where he also produced a very popular seminar series for the first time at the show.