JOHNNIE BODEN TO LEAD MILTON ABBEY’S THIRD SUCCESSIVE ‘ENTREPRENEUR IN RESIDENCE’ COMPETITION
22 May 2015
Johnnie Boden, Executive Chairman and Founder of the Boden global clothing brand has been announced as the leader of Milton Abbey’s third successive ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ competition and will also be delivering elements of the School’s new Enterprise and Entrepreneurship BTEC course which begins this September.
Headmaster, Magnus Bashaarat comments, “The ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ scheme was launched two years ago with the purpose of providing an outlet for pupils with a particular flair for enterprise and a desire to run their own businesses, and it gives them a unique opportunity to pick the brains of some of the country’s most successful business icons.”
Milton Abbey is a school with a history of cultivating budding entrepreneurs and many alumni have gone on to forge highly successful careers in self-employment in a diverse range of sectors including former pupil Oliver Gladwin, founder and owner of The Shed restaurant in London’s Notting Hill and more recently Rabbit on the Kings Road; and also Paul Amin, owner and Director of the Black Moth Vodka label. Johnnie takes over from Cath Kidston who fronted this year’s competition, and Anya Hindmarch who led the 2014 scheme. Cath Kidston spoke favourably of the School’s promotion of this initiative during her visit, “It was lovely to be in a School where I feel I would have flourished as a child and it is so encouraging to see entrepreneurism being actively promoted.”
Sixth Form pupil Archie Kevill, who was crowned the winner in 2014 alongside his teammate Patrick Blanshard thoroughly enjoyed the process, commenting, “I’ve always been interested in business and making money but the competition taught me more about the formal elements – how to prepare a business plan and how to prepare myself professionally for interviews.” Part of Archie and Patrick’s prize was a week of work experience at Anya Hindmarch’s office in Battersea and Archie adds, “The work experience was great, we were assigned projects and learned more about marketing, design, and all the small details which have helped the brand become so successful, like the music played in Anya’s stores. Working with Anya was brilliant and I’ve taken away lots of experience and new skills for the future.”
Johnnie will also be involved in running a workshop session as part of the School’s new Enterprise and Entrepreneurship course which is being launched this September and is already proving to be popular. This Level 3 National Subsidiary Diploma, just one of an impressive portfolio of BTEC courses offered by the School, develops core skills and understanding surrounding the business environment and sees pupils planning and setting up their own businesses and planning finance, supply chains and marketing. “I am looking forward to working with Milton Abbey and supporting this exciting and unique entrepreneurial initiative. It is just the sort of thing I would have loved to have got stuck into during my school days,” says Johnnie. “I will do my best to help encourage and inspire the next generation of budding entrepreneurs.”
Boden was founded in 1991 beginning life as a hand-drawn collection of eight menswear garments. Despite having no formal fashion training and limited resources, his meticulous attention to detail and desire to bring a smile to the faces of those who wore his clothes and to make them feel confident and good about themselves has helped the brand grow to attract a loyal following from 1.5 million customers across the world. Twenty years on Johnnie still remains very close to the heart of the business, signing off every item of clothing and each piece of marketing personally.