Oxbridge or bust: One womans journey home via Cambridge, London, Paris, New York

I’ve always loved a plan and a challenge - a target that seems unachievable, or in Google terminology ‘a Moonshot’. Like a bloodhound, once I’ve settled on the target the blinkers go on and determination sees me through. The first time this trait surfaced was in primary school - the sister of a friend had been offered a place at Oxford University, Fiona Jenkins - oh the way people spoke of her, it was fantastic - this was obviously the way to shine, such glory! I was in, fully committed - Oxbridge or bust and at 17 I headed to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge to study Natural Sciences.

^{Cambridge: The Hall, Gonville and Caius College where I studied and am now an Honorary Fellow}

As soon as I graduated I needed to return to Swansea as my father had become very ill - as an only child I was needed at home. I joined Deloitte in Swansea - not through the usual graduate intake scheme but more because Eric Davies, the Partner in Charge, seemed to appreciate my approach of sitting on the stairs to the office until I was seen. I’d never intended to study accountancy but I’m very grateful for the training and experience I had there - being part of a smaller office meant I saw so many diverse businesses whereas many of my university friends in London were placed on audits that went on for months. I was 20, I had no idea what I ultimately wanted to do so business training with clients that covered wildlife parks, boat manufacturers and fast food franchises gave a wonderful insight into the highs and lows of many sectors.

After qualifying I transferred to the Chicago/Rockford office and worked in the US for five years which gave me insight to the American market, this proved invaluable many years later. Despite settling in America and getting married I was homesick - my husband and I moved back to the UK so I could return to my college in Cambridge to set up the first Development Office there - alumni relations and fundraising. What a privilege, I was able to flex my entrepreneurial muscles for the first time creating a variety of items for sale from limited edition prints to replicas of the gargoyles which adorn the college. I became the first female Registrary in the 650 year history of the college and felt I had something interesting that could be put in an obituary so the pressure was off.

^{Vanity Fair Conference in New York where I was a speaker}

Fast forward to 2008, my children were 6 and 8 - I’d taken a career break to enjoy their early years but they were rapidly discovering that friends were more interesting so I needed to find my next challenge. Education had given me freedom and I wanted to give my daughter and son the very best education possible - I found a school that felt like a great fit and then found out just how expensive school fees are…. I had found my next challenge. With £600 as a start up fund, I needed to start a business that would generate £24,000 a year to meet two sets of school fees. That’s £24,000 after tax - that qualifies as a moonshot.

I made a list of ten businesses I could start and filtered them down to the ones that would make enough money fast enough and did not require more than £600. Traditional school satchels had been on my radar following frustration with poorly made school bags and it seemed unbelievable that the satchel was no longer easily available. The name of the business shows little imagination - The Cambridge Satchel Company and the original bike logo was a reflection of the masses of bikes around Cambridge so tied the business to my location. I learned to code - not well, but well enough to get the first website up and running. Challenges came thick and fast, but none more that when one of my manufacturers started using Cambridge Satchel leather to make copy product. It was time to start manufacturing for ourselves, the slight issue of no prior knowledge didn’t prove too much of a hurdle and the first bags were produced within three weeks of finding an empty factory.

Traditional brown satchels had been given a boost in the colour department as my mother and I chose bright, poster paint inspired colours from paint charts - these caught the eye of the fashion editor of Vogue Italia and celebrity customers Sophie Ellis Bextor and Alexa Chung. We began making bags for fashion royalty Comme des Garçons and selling in Dover Street Market. The New York Times named The Cambridge Satchel Company the street style hit of New York Fashion Week in 2012 and the website crashed. Many times.

^{The royal visit in 2019: The Prince of Wales, now the King, and the Duchess of Cornwall, now Queen consort.}

My story had come to the attention of Google and was featured in the advert for Google Chrome, the first airing of the advert being during X factor on a Saturday night. I was very glad that by that time we had moved from the first site that I’d created… 

The next twelve months saw the business win WGSN Global Fashion Brand, the factory was awarded British manufacturer of the year and I was awarded an OBE for services to entrepreneurship and manufacturing after being named European Entrepreneur of the Year. A CBE was awarded in 2021 following the publication of a Review of Self Employment in the UK 2016 for the Prime Minister and working with the Department of International Trade to promote export.

I have learned so much and sharing that knowledge through The British Library’s Business and IP Centre (BIPC) has been an honour. I am a passionate entrepreneur and feel such a connection to Wales and being a supporter of the business community back home. I wish more BIPC centres could have been set up in Wales to give the same boost to new and aspiring entrepreneurs. 

Since exiting The Cambridge Satchel Company in 2022 I now split my time between Cambridge and Pembrokeshire. My key interests are entrepreneurship, manufacturing and retail.