Katie Johnson – Haighs Bakery

Katie, a graduate of Leeds Business School, is Strategic and Digital Marketing Lead at Haighs Bakery.

What has the Haighs KTP set out to achieve?

The aim of the KTP project is to facilitate transformation at Haighs Bakery, by embedding strategic marketing and new decision-making capabilities, to create a business model that will enable the company to expand and respond more proactively to market demands.

What milestones have you already achieved?

Since the project began, we have delivered a number of initiatives that are already creating positive change across the business.

To expand our direct-to-consumer presence, we have launched Haighs Bakery on Deliveroo and TikTok Shop, providing customers with new ways to access our products and helping us reach new audiences.

Internally, we have developed and launched a new mission statement and set of company values to create a stronger culture and a shared direction for the future. Alongside this, we have begun repositioning the Haighs brand to better reflect the quality, heritage and craftsmanship that have been at the heart of the bakery since 1950.

Sustainability has also been a key focus. We have partnered with Too Good To Go to reduce food waste while introducing the brand to new customers.  We now also work closely with organisations including Bradford North Foodbank, Menston Community Fridge and St George's Crypt to ensure surplus food supports local communities rather than going to waste.

Alongside this, we have introduced more strategic planning processes, strengthened customer insight through market research and data analysis and laid the foundations for long-term category management and product innovation.

Have any of your plans changed since starting the project?

One of the biggest discoveries has been the importance of cultural change. As well as developing new marketing capabilities, we've focused on improving collaboration, communication and embedding the company's new values across the business. Building a strong internal culture is proving just as important as implementing new strategies.

What is unique about Haighs that makes it so important to the Guiseley community?

Haighs Bakery has been part of the Guiseley community since 1950, with generations of local families growing up with its products. As a family-run business, it combines traditional baking methods and decades of expertise with a genuine commitment to supporting the local area.

Abi McMahon – Abraham Moon & Sons

Abi is Process Analyst and Transformation Lead at Abraham Moon & Sons, and is about to start a Masters by Research (MRes) at LBU, which will further support and strengthen the delivery of the KTP.

What has the Abraham Moon & Sons KTP set out to achieve?

Yorkshire has a rich heritage in wool textile manufacturing and was once the heart of Britain's woollen industry. Today, only a handful of mills remain, producing the high-quality British cloth for which the region is renowned. Founded in 1837, Abraham Moon & Sons has been manufacturing cloth on the same Yorkshire site for almost 190 years and has only ever been owned by two families, most recently the Walsh family.

Abraham Moon & Sons designs and manufactures apparel fabrics, upholstery fabrics and accessories, with collections such as ‘Naturally Moon’ drawing inspiration from the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. As one of the few remaining fully vertical woollen mills in the UK, the company continues to carry out every stage of production on a single site, preserving skills and craftsmanship that have shaped Yorkshire's textile industry for generations.

The KTP project aims to help safeguard one of the UK's last remaining vertical woollen mills by developing a more agile, multi-skilled workforce. By preserving specialist skills and process knowledge, improving productivity and increasing manufacturing flexibility, the project seeks to strengthen Moon's long-term sustainability and competitiveness in an evolving industry. This will be achieved through the implementation of a digital learning and development platform alongside a stronger knowledge-sharing culture across the organisation.

What milestones have you already achieved?

Since joining the business in September 2025, I have spent time immersing myself in Moon's complex manufacturing processes and gaining a deep understanding of the people, practices and traditions that make the company unique. One of the key priorities has been understanding how valuable skills and knowledge are currently shared throughout the business and identifying opportunities to preserve this expertise for future generations.

Several exciting milestones have already been achieved. We are currently piloting a digital learning and development platform with Snap SOP, who are working closely with us to develop a solution tailored to our needs. Alongside this, we are mapping business processes across the organisation to better understand workflow, identify bottlenecks and highlight opportunities where multi-skilling can support the company's strategic objectives. These activities are helping to establish the foundations for a more connected, resilient and knowledgeable workforce.

Have any of your plans changed since starting the project?

As the project has progressed, we have identified opportunities that extend beyond the original scope. While digitalising training and preserving knowledge remain key objectives, the work has highlighted wider opportunities around succession planning, workforce development and organisational agility. It has reinforced the importance of ensuring that specialist skills, many of which have been developed over decades, can be shared effectively across the business and preserved for the future.

What is unique about Abraham Moon & Sons that makes it so important to the Guiseley community?

What makes Abraham Moon & Sons particularly important to the Guiseley community is its combination of heritage, innovation and local commitment. The company has been part of the local landscape since 1837 and continues to manufacture in Yorkshire today. With almost 200 employees, Moon not only provides skilled employment within the region but also actively engages with local schools to inspire young people and promote careers within the textile industry.