2020
Looking to the future…
Team LAMB
Since the manufacturing expansion of the 80s, William Lamb has developed trusted teams, networks and manufacturing partnerships across the globe. These teams are a valued extension of the William Lamb family and enable the business to consistently source and deliver the best products for its customers.
Today’s employees embody the values that William Lamb himself instilled back in 1887. They are innovative, determined, genuine people who are dedicated to delivering great service. With over 100 employees in 6 countries, there is decades of diverse expertise across the entire supply chain. The rich depth and breadth of skills is a potent combination of generations of experience and fresh contemporary talent, creating a supportive and respectful company culture that is key to business success.
In 2018, Stuart stepped back from an active executive role in the family business. He continues to support the company as Chairman since, in his words ‘The suppliers like to see the guy with his name on the chimney’. Jane Wilson was appointed CEO in the same year and continues to evolve the business for the next generation with a focus on digital transformation. Under her stewardship, she is building the management team with the skills and creativity to meet the challenges of an everchanging market, that will sustain the William Lamb business into the future.
Licensing
Since acquiring its first character license in 1983 (Snoopy), licensing has been a driving force in company growth. Today, William Lamb has a portfolio of over 60 licenses and a catalogue of awards. Licensors, such as Barbie, Disney, Mattel, eOne and Hasbro have named William Lamb as Licensee of the Year for their design and product success.
William Lamb is renowned in the market as licensing leaders, which is a testament to the creativity of the dedicated in-house licensing and design teams. The teams consistently deliver trend-driven, innovative products and an unrivalled customer service, which has made William Lamb the go-to supplier for over three decades.
Acquisition of POD
With a long-term acquisition strategy to invest in brands, William Lamb acquired its first global license for fashion brand POD in 2020. Influencing style and culture since the 1970s, Pod is iconic for its unique designs that include heavy mudguard twin stitching, crepe soles and stitch-out designs. The Pod collections are rooted in decades of nostalgia.
POD presents the company with the exciting challenge to innovate and enhance the product and reputation of this renowned British brand, whilst expanding its reach into international markets.
Strengthening production capability
Agility is embedded across William Lamb’s entire history – this continues in 2020 as the company expands new production opportunities in Asia to facilitate the next era of global growth and innovation.
Corporate & Social Responsibility (CSR)
At William Lamb CSR has never been about box-ticking. CSR has always been rooted in the integrity of the business. This became even more important when production moved to overseas suppliers.
Ethics
Since moving manufacturing overseas in 1983, William Lamb has been committed to ensuring the highest of standards throughout the entire supply chain. William Lamb only partner with factories with the highest of ethical standards. There is a dedicated on the ground ethical team that works closely with William Lamb factories to raise and maintain standards. They ensure factories are audited and meet the regulatory requirements for working conditions and safety set by international legislation.
William Lamb’s guiding principles are defined by the Ethical Trade Initiative code of practice and approved by IMPACTT, a leading consultancy specialising in ethical trade, human rights and labour standards. The business is fully compliant and committed to the Modern Slavery act and has a zero-tolerance policy on child labour.