More than 200 business leaders from across Lancashire came to Lancaster University to hear Andy Rubin, Chair of Pentland Brands Ltd talk about building brands in a VUCA world, on Wednesday 21st November.

Andy shared his journey of joining the third-generation family business 27 years ago and discussed the ways in which Pentland is constantly evolving to keep ahead and continually rejuvenating brands to keep them relevant to changing consumer tastes.

Pentland Brands is the name behind some of the world’s best sports and footwear brands, including Speedo, Berghaus, Canterbury of New Zealand, Endura, Mitre, Ellesse, Boxfresh, SeaVees, KangaROOS and Red or Dead.

Andy illustrated that “In this VUCA world, we need to reinvent to stay relevant.” This means creating products that meet the demanding standards expected by their consumers. It means hiring the best people and making sure they support them to achieve their best. And it means striving to ensure that their suppliers and other partners work in the same, people-centred way.

Professor Angus Laing, Dean of Lancaster University Management School, said: “We were honoured that Andy delivered an insightful and engaging Masterclass, he showcased how you can build a successful brand with long term value. As a leading figure of business and brand management, he demonstrated the importance of flexibility and agility in a rapidly changing world. The audience asked a wonderfully diverse range of questions and I’m sure they found Andy’s Masterclass an inspiring experience.”

Andy is also Chair of the Dean's Council at Lancaster University Management School and an Honorary Professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation. The Rubin Foundation Charitable Trust, run by the owners of the Pentland group, also funds world class research in Lancaster University’s Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business

The event was part of a Masterclass Series run by Lancaster University Management School and supported by NatWest, which involves inspirational speakers with a passion for business sharing their knowledge and expertise to inspire SMEs. Lancaster University Management School has been running business Masterclasses for more than 10 years as part of their business engagement programmes and have drawn audiences in the hundreds from across the North West’s SME networks.