A Fireside Chat – Resilience, Legacy and Leadership

Thursday 15 October 2026, 6:00pm to 7:30pm

Venue

Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster, United Kingdom, LA1 4YX

Open to

All Lancaster University (non-partner) students, Alumni, External Organisations, Postgraduates, Public, Staff, Undergraduates

Registration

Free to attend - registration required

Registration Info

Please book your place here

Event Details

Join us for a powerful conversation with Gillian Hall, third-generation cheesemaker and owner of Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses.

In 2023, disaster struck when a devastating fire destroyed part of the family’s Lancashire dairy business - a company built over three generations since 1932. For many businesses, it would have been the end. For Gill and her team, it became a defining moment.

Rooted in strong family values and guided by an unwavering commitment to quality, Gill led the response with honesty, determination and resilience. While protecting the heritage recipe created by her mother and the standards instilled by her father — “It’s your quality that has got you where you are today and it’s your quality that will keep you there” — she also faced the realities of crisis leadership: uncertainty, responsibility and rebuilding trust.

This fireside chat will explore what it truly means to lead when everything feels at risk - from navigating operational shock and supporting your people, to rebuilding stronger and more innovative than before.

Expect a candid discussion about resilience, stewardship of a family legacy, and finding opportunity in adversity.

Registration: 5.15pm - 6.00pm | Fireside Chat: 6.00pm - 7.30pm

Please note this is an IN PERSON event

Speaker

Gillian Hall

Entrepreneurship, Strategy & Innovation, Lancaster University

Contact Details

Name Sonia Stevenson
Email

s.stevenson1@lancaster.ac.uk