Dame Margaret thanks Barbour factory staff as she wins lifetime achievement award

Dame Margaret Barbour, Chairman of J Barbour and Sons Ltd. has been awarded the Institute of Director’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Director of the Year Awards, held at Grange St. Paul’s Hotel on Friday.

Dame Margaret has been Chairman of Barbour for 40 years. She took over in 1968 following the sudden death of her husband John Barbour and was made Chairman in 1973. Barbour was founded in 1894 and has stayed in the hands of the same family for all of its 120-year history.

The award recognises Dame Margaret’s success in transforming a company famous for its outerwear into a global lifestyle brand producing knitwear, trousers, shirts, footwear and accessories.

Today, Barbour is sold in over 40 countries worldwide, but retains its roots in the North East of England, where its iconic wax jackets are still made by hand. Barbour is a great British success story, and a family owned company. Dame Margaret is the 4th generation of the family and her daughter Helen who is the Vice Chairman, is the 5th.

Simon Walker, director general of the Institute of Directors congratulated Dame Margaret on her award, saying: “Dame Margaret is an example to all businesses of great leadership. She has taken one of Britain’s best-known manufacturing companies from strength-to-strength, maintaining its reputation for high-quality products, but also seeking to innovate and expand into new markets.

“She has shown incredible dedication to the company and its customers over 40 years and we are very pleased to be able to recognise her achievements through this award.”

Accepting the award, Dame Margaret said: “I am delighted to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award. 40 years ago, I would never have believed that I would be standing here accepting an Award like this.

“It is a great honour to be recognised in this way. I think my late husband, John Barbour, who was the fourth generation in the company that started in 1894, would be very proud of what I have achieved in fulfilling his legacy. However, I could not have done it by myself so this Award is really a testament to the hard work and dedication of all of my staff from the factory and warehouse through to my senior management team.”

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