What do the world’s first Adidas sports bag and the Nutribullet have in common? They both began life in Keighley! The journey began when Peter Black – born Hans Schwarzschild – left Nazi Germany in the 1930s and moved to London. At the outbreak of World War Two, he moved up to West Yorkshire and set up his firm.

Initially using old army webbing to make shopping bags, Peter Black became one of Marks & Spencer’s leading suppliers and it was once said that every family in Keighley had someone working at the firm.

Join Event Chair Colin Philpott, and Gordon Black, son of Peter and author of From Bags to Blenders: The Journey of a Yorkshire Businessman, for a fascinating and amusing event sharing his ideas for creating the culture of teamwork and passion that makes a successful business.

About The Speaker

Gordon Black

Gordon Black CBE DL was born in 1943 and educated at Cambridge, where he took a degree in History. He joined Peter Black in 1965 and became Chairman in 1977.  Gordon Black now runs Black Family Investments with his brother Thomas, and was awarded a CBE in 2005 for services to business and charity. He is married to Louise, with three children and nine grandchildren, and lives in Ilkley, Yorkshire.

About The Chair

Colin Philpott

Colin Philpott is a writer, producer and presenter. He is a former Director of the National Media Museum and BBC programme-maker, and ran the lobbying group Bradford Breakthrough until 2015.