Inspiring Leaders - Lisa Montague, CEO, Sanderson Design Group plc

Linda Walmsley is a professional interviewer and Founder / Co-owner of Ribble Valley based, Walmsley Wilkinson Executive and Management Recruitment.

During 2025 she continues a series of interviews with Business Leaders who have innovated within their field of expertise and have warranted the description of being an inspiring leader.

Profile 

Lisa Montague joined Sanderson Design Group plc (SDG), an AIM-listed interior design group, employing around 500 people globally and home to six quintessentially British luxury interiors brands, including Royal Warrant-holding Sanderson and Morris & Co, as Chief Executive Officer on 10 April 2019.

Her significant experience of leading and developing brand-based businesses with integrated manufacturing and multi-channel distribution includes previous roles at Madrid-based brand Loewe SA, the Spanish luxury fashion house owned by the LVMH Group, and Mulberry Group plc.

Lisa is a trustee of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), which supports the training and education of talented, aspiring craftspeople, and a non-executive director of The Royal Mint. 

Interview

What were your career aspirations when you were younger?

Once I got over the fact that I was not going to find a cure for cancer or be the best Doctor on the planet - I couldn’t manage it when I did my work experience as I wanted to take everyone home and make them better and I couldn’t eat or sleep or eat afterwards, which is very unusual for me as I do like my food and I generally get lots of sleep generally - I then fell into fashion, if you like, having exhausted lots of other alternatives.

My A levels were in French, German and Maths, so that turned out to be a good recipe for international business which is where I ended up.

What was your first job?

My first job, when it became apparent to me and the educational institution, that the degree I had selected was not made for me, was in London.

I was threatened by my parents that if I didn’t find a great work solution I needed go home and train to become a secretary at ICI, which didn’t seem like an appealing opportunity to me, sorry to all those people in the pharmaceutical industry who are perfectly happy there.  

I could however speak languages, and German ‘fashion’, as they called it, was very much in vogue at that time. This was some years ago, as I’ve been working for a good 40 years now.

I became a showroom assistant, did a bit of modelling and reception work.  I communicated with the manufacturing agents in womenswear in London and thankfully they sent me to Germany to work with a manufacturer on a year’s Internship and that was that; my path was laid before me.

At this time those companies weren’t very strong at international sales, and they needed someone to represent them on the global stage, so I became ‘IT’ quite quickly.

Did you know immediately that you had found your career niche?

Absolutely, I’ve loved every job that I’ve ever done.  I think that is very important.  My strong advice would be that if you don’t enjoy it don’t do it. We spend too much time at our places of work to be miserable.

Who or what has inspired you in your career?

Lots of people - I think I’ve been jolly lucky to have worked with some great people.  I was also fortunate to be born to a very strong mother and businesswoman who allegedly, so family myth / history has it, went to the chemist to buy some nappies and bought the shop, which then became the local womenswear boutique. So, I come from rather entrepreneurial roots with a little spontaneity in the mix - a great start in life.

I’m the eldest child of self-employed parents, so I’ve chosen never to go it alone – but it was also a great start and a great exposure to business.  I think you can sometimes underestimate how much is learned over the dinner table.

What life lessons would you share with others?

To maintain a positive lens on things especially currently when there’s not an awful lot to be cheerful about out there. The news is all about doom and gloom, international and political insecurity issues or the UK consumer confidence, which is not fabulous, but there are always opportunities.

Sometimes we are all so aware of the threats and the risks, but we do all need to keep our focus also on the opportunities and keep persevering.  

Perseverance was drummed into us at school, and then, my parents also used to say, ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. Keep trying, that’s quite important - not to the point of being naïve but to apply that strategy to maintain one’s focus on outcomes and goals and being aware that we may have to shift the tactics accordingly along the way.

What five words best describe you?

Courageous, energetic, kind (I hope), strategic, focused.

Do you have a favourite saying or quote?

Apart from the ‘if at first you don’t succeed’, I think my team would probably say that I follow the positive and progressive over the negative and often say to them – ‘please don’t just bring me problems, please come along with some solutions’.

I think I probably learned that from one of my own bosses somewhere along the line.

Is there a particular technology you are passionate about?

I’m passionate about all of it because I think if we don’t embrace new technology then the world moves on and leaves us behind, particularly in design innovation.

We need to move forwards and be looking for new solutions all the time. We were behind the curve perhaps on some investment in the past and have really caught up in the last few years because digital print technology, for instance, has moved so far on now, particularly in wallpaper.  

It’s been quite developed in textiles for a few years and  so our digital printing textiles was running about at 80 per cent of the total. People may find that quite surprising but it’s all because the quality of the product is so good.

Wallpaper printing, through the same engineering companies developing those solutions to apply them to wallpaper, has also really moved on.

Even wallpaper aficionados who love the print mark, and the ink mark will accept the digital solution thanks to the innovation of our teams, blending digital and conventional techniques, for instance, to create a unique design solution.

We proudly celebrated the centenary of Standfast & Barracks, our manufacturing site in Lancaster, last year and Anstey has printed for about that long as well, albeit having moved in the Loughborough area a couple of times.

I don’t think any other wallpaper manufacturer really has that range of print techniques or the ability to colour-match fabrics and wallpapers as we do; it gives us a competitive advantage by having invested and embraced new tech solutions.

Everybody is concerned about the threats of AI, and we hear a lot about the dangers and risks, but if we weren’t embracing AI and large language modelling as a creative business, then I think we would be making a grave error.

How should the Human Resources function operate in a business? 

I think that is an ever-changing question. People change. Generations shift and expectations change.

The way people work today is very different to how they worked in the last generation.  When I started several years ago, it was different, and it will change and evolve again.

We’ve also had the shift to working from home which became common practice during and after Covid, and then a big issue facing leaders today is how far to ask people back into an office environment, or how we shift forwards to create a new equilibrium for the future.  

How to resolve those questions is a big issue, for everybody.  Some companies have been very prescriptive, but  I particularly have a view that we should encourage people to work in the way that’s most effective for them and as long as that works for the individual, for the team and for the company that’s fine with me, on the whole.

We are becoming a little bit more prescriptive around some roles and encouraging people to be in at least three days a week because we do miss that interaction between people face to face, and I think it’s important not only to communicate, but to connect.

Also, we have a duty of care to all employees and if I don’t see them for months on end, apart from on Teams, when people can be at their best for a short period of time, we don’t know how they are, how their health, mental health or general wellbeing are.

We’ve re-badged the entire function as our People Team, we’ve done away with the HR term because although we are talking about resourcing and capability, people are all individuals and its talented individuals that we are working with.

A company is only a collection of people who hopefully come together for a united purpose and who are aligned behind the goals of that purpose.

To be a successful company, by definition, one needs the team to be aligned. So, I think that the casting, if you like, and how we all interact, engage, move, evolve and develop together is really critical.

In my opinion, that’s the function – it’s the bringing together, it’s the glue in the middle of the company that I think is really important - keeping an eye on the culture to make sure that we are all evolving in the way that we wish to, that communication is fluid, that everybody feels connected and that they can show up as their best self and that it is welcomed, embraced, and encouraged.

There’s a nurturing element to our People Team now. It’s less about statistics and reporting (which is where technology can help us). It’s all about the people.

What are your views on attracting talent and retaining people?

I recently visited the New Designers Show, (as I do every year) which is where all our design team have come from. It’s a constant search for new talent, I think we always need to be looking ahead.

We’re a small British, AIM listed, quoted company, but I have worked for some smaller and larger groups and some of the big groups have talent scouts.

We can’t afford that kind of resource, but I think keeping in touch with people like yourselves is important, understanding what’s next, who’s coming through, what’s new, where’s the talent, what should we be looking for and why would somebody find it exciting to join us.

We also need to manage the shift of our requirements, as we apply new technologies or we define strategic accelerators and opportunities in the market going forward.

We’re looking particularly at the US growth now as a key opportunity, and as precarious as that market might be or a little unpredictable at least, that will change and how we develop in that market where every region is very different, is a constant and exciting conversation.

The climate is different, the light is different, so the design requirements are different not only from here in the UK but also from State to State – so there is never a single answer.

I think we need to be very aware of how our own business develops and shifts and our changing requirements and capabilities.

Has workplace diversity and inclusion now become embedded or is there still much to do?

Here at Sanderson Design Group, I would say it’s very well embedded. We were listed as one of the 4 c-suite duos on AIM, myself as chief executive and Dame Dianne Thompson as chairman. AIM  represents a small part of the market, but the numbers aren’t huge on the main market either, which is something to note.

When I was speaking on the panel to support that piece of research when it was published, it was clear that there is a move in certain areas of the world to unpick some of these things. We’ve worked so hard to have gender balanced decision making and it’s been proven to be more effective in the leadership team and across the business that I simply do not understand why we wouldn’t continue to champion that. We’ve certainly embraced it.

We’re very balanced on gender across the business, obviously in different areas and in different functions, factories slightly different to the design team for instance, but we’ve worked hard on that.

I think when you look at our government in the UK, I don’t think there is a danger of this coming off the agenda. They are a particularly great example, I think 46 per cent of the cabinet is female, which sets a great tone.  

I’m also a trustee of QEST where we work with the National Saturday Club to go into schools all around the country to try to bring people from different backgrounds and make them aware of the opportunities in our creative industries which is a good start but it’s not a one-man job and there is a way to go.

 I would say, particularly in our industry, I’m not sure that our mix of population is really reflective of the communities around us.

There’s lots of opportunity and our job now is to create awareness of the opportunities within the industries and to encourage people to look at us.

Not everybody can go to university, or if they do, they often can’t find a job at the end of it, so then thinking about the creative and manufacturing opportunities for British design and make is so important for the soft power of Britian and that’s something to be really proud of. You need young people to come through because the pipeline dries up if the schools are not focused on art and design as part of the curriculum.

What legislation would you amend or implement to support UK business? 

If the British government would give us a break on manufacturing that would be incredibly helpful. You know we’ve been saddled in the last few years with, apart from the obvious challenges, utility prices increasing, which for manufacturing is really painful.

We’re also a living wage employer, which I’m incredibly proud of but I get challenged on that now because the wages have gone up on average seven per cent in the last few years. That’s meant a £2m utility hike, another £2m wage hike which has meant that we couldn’t invest the £2m in digital technologies earlier. I think more support for British manufacturing and understanding our challenges would be beneficial.

We hear a lot about not impacting workers and the workforce but everything does indirectly impact the entire nation. If we have to give a seven per cent increase, then effectively, we have to take some of the work force out and start to look at headcount reductions, which is then just going to come back into the benefits system.

Everybody is doing that, it’s well publicised. I think we are in a very fragile moment that could tip the wrong way for British businesses if we are not super careful, or least cognisant of the unintended consequences.

In your opinion, what elements are key to being a successful CEO?

If I was hiring for the role of a CEO, I would focus on a  broad skill set and the ability to bring people together and keep everybody aligned behind a common goal. A lot of it is steering, so I’ll revert  to  sailing analogies.

You’ve got your course set out, so let’s keep to our destination and yes, the wind might shift, or the tide may change so “how” we  navigate, might change.

I think that’s a lot of the CEO role and obviously there’s all the financial awareness, rigour and governance framework. skills that are fundamental, but I think in terms of approach it’s about making sure the team is a team, the leadership goals are clear, and we are looking forward.

I really enjoy the investor meetings and the road shows as it’s our chance to interact with people who see things from miles high and see us in the context of the whole general market, so that’s a fantastic added extra of being publicly owned.

Those interviews when you get asked what your average day looks like. I don’t have such a thing. One day I might be in Japan reviewing opportunities with our key partners that import or make under licence Another day might be on the investor road show in the City of London, or working with QEST to award scholarships to talented craftspeople or with The King’s Foundation on how best to represent Highgrove Gardens and the charity’s values in wallpaper and fabrics

How would you describe your leadership style?

I think you would have to ask some of the people who work with me! I’m very proud of the fact there’s a testament of people who  have worked with me before who are willing to work with me again -  which is a joy and I take that as positive feedback.

I do have a tendency to be quite a fast decision maker and sometimes people struggle with that. I believe in surrounding yourself with the right people as well. If I have my foot on the gas but the CFO needs their foot on the brakes, then that can be a very good partnership.

When you get the triumvirate, the triangle between the creative director, the financial director and the chief executive officer in our business or in fashion and leather goods, as I’ve been in before, in any creative business, it’s golden! It’s absolutely vital  that those three people  are united but are equally very different.

I like to think that I have a participative leadership style but whether anybody else would concur, I’m not sure I it might slip now and again and definitely in a crisis.

We had our insights seminar/workshop a few weeks ago, where we did our personality and leadership colours, that we do every so often. When you have a new member of the leadership team, it is by definition a new team, and we’d had our financial results for last year which weren’t stunning, (not my best year by a long shot), I’m very grateful to still be here.

When I received the results for my assessment, I thought there was a mistake. My colours are always well balanced, part of being a CEO is being able to have the empathy as well as the drive, being able to make fast decisions but also take counsel, so all those things, those well-balanced characteristics normally come out fairly even with me.

I’ve done this many times and always get the same results, until last year when we suffered a challenging trading period and I was obviously in a ‘just get it done’ mode. I think our leadership style may change; I’m aware mine does. I’ve now seen it in a survey that doesn’t lie.  

What is your biggest career highlight or achievement to date?

I think I’ve delivered what I went to do, mostly.  The big, fabulous experience for me was being CEO of Loewe and working within such an incredible luxury goods group as LVMH.

 It was an opportunity to really learn a lot, I worked with some incredibly talented people, and at the same time, to lead a heritage brand that was such a Spanish treasure and jewel that the nation was so proud of. It was also a family adventure for us, moving to Madrid, kit and caboodle!

At the same time, I knew the brand was only really successful in Spain and Japan, when I joined, and if we could make Loewe globally recognised, everyone would have a real reason to celebrate.

There was great momentum with Stuart Vevers laying foundations and then Jonathan Anderson’s vision appealing to an international fashion audience. Innovative designs, impeccable manufacturing – we controlled our own factories and with them,  the value proposition  that brand’s global growth journey has been wonderful to watch!

What’s next for you and Sanderson Design Group?

I’m expecting to deliver what I came here for, which would be very rewarding. We’ve had a few challenges from the external market since I joined, including Brexit, Covid and economic shocks. We can cut corners, we can reduce costs, and we can LEAN everything out, but at the end of the day, you need some market momentum in order to sell more. You can’t cost cut your way to success. It buys time but it’s not going to drive success.

So, thank goodness for America, which is a big market with wealthier clients, larger houses, bigger walls and windows and so that’s where we are very focused.

During the last five years we’ve doubled that business, which is amazing, but we remain under-penetrated in the leading global  market. Once we double again, I’ll take that as a success.