Keith Murray from Lochaven International Ltd brought some Harry Potter Magic to Strathclyde Business School recently.
Lochaven is a knitwear business founded in the 1940s and based in Stewarton. Keith talked to undergraduate business students about the inspired decision to buy out of receivership the assets of Lochaven of Scotland in 2007 - on the strength of a signed picture on the wall.
The autographed photograph was of the lead actors in the early Harry Potter films and it turned out that Lochaven had supplied the knitwear for the films. The rest as they say is history and thanks to hard work and astute stewardship Lochaven now holds the worldwide replica license for the knitwear from the Harry Potter franchise and other films while they have also revitalised the west central Scottish textile industry that many had considered was at best on the way out or a lost cause.
Management Development Programme (MDP) Director Dr Kostas Tomazos said, "We are proud to have the support of Lochaven International as they are a Scottish company with a global outlook and reach. We are pleased that our students got the opportunity to learn from the experience of Keith, especially on how he turned a moment of inspiration from a picture on the wall to a vastly successful international business. But most importantly we are proud to have Keith as one of our industry liaisons and MDP sponsors because he delivered success in Scotland, using Scottish materials and a local workforce which is now getting trained and prepared for a long term future in the textile industry, as Scottish knitwear is becoming synonymous to quality and a symbol of excellence."
Keith Murray from Lochaven International Ltd said, "I am delighted to be involved with the MDP and it is great to be able to illustrate that good business opportunities still exist in Scotland as long as you keep your eyes open and manage the commercialisation of ideas effectively. It is especially important in light of the recent recession and negative news in the oil industry that people remain confident in the opportunities available in Scotland to service a global market."