UWE Bristol will award the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration to Rob Law MBE, in recognition of his contribution and commitment to enterprise and entrepreneurship.
The honorary degree will be conferred at the Awards Ceremony of the Faculty of Business and Law at Bristol Cathedral on Tuesday 17 July at 14:00.
Rob Law MBE is the founder and CEO of Trunki, the brand behind the much-loved ride-on suitcase for tots. From one of the most famous rejections on BBC Dragons’ Den in 2006, Rob has successfully built a team who have pioneered a new retail category of children’s travel products, designing and creating a range of innovative solutions which help families on the go.
Since Trunki launched in May 2006, the company has sold 3.8 million suitcases in over 100 countries with consumers spending over $200 million on his brand. Trunki employs 25 people at their funky head office in Bristol called The Mothership, and a further 55 people at its UK manufacturing and distribution facility – Magma Moulding – in Plymouth.
The company has won over 120 awards within the design, trade, consumer and business sectors including reaching 42nd on The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 and winning The National Business Awards SME of the Year.
Rob originally hails from Chester and is 40 years old. He graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Product Design in 2000 from the University of Northumbria and has worked internationally, including periods in New York, Taiwan, Australia and for some of the UK’s leading design consultancies.
On New Year’s Day 2011, Rob was awarded an MBE for Services to Business and went on to receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering from Bath University in 2015.
Rob is a popular and engaging personality on the speaking circuit, not least for his ‘dragon slaying’ tips, his fresh take on running a business and how to navigate the ever-evolving challenges in the global marketplace, sharing his motivational story at large business conferences through to blue chip management teams.
He is also passionate about inspiring future business leaders and designers, as well as a judge for several national business awards, he also holds the following pro bono positions:
- UWE Advisory Board member at Faculty of Business and Management
- Prince’s Trust Ambassador and recipient of support in 2002
- ACID (Anti-Copying In Design) Ambassador
- Cystic Fibrosis Trust Patron for the Sixty-Five Roses Club
- Design Council Spark programme Investment committee
When not designing tomorrow’s must-have on-the-go products, Rob enjoys spending time with his young family and is an amateur triathlete, often found cycling around his adopted home of Bristol.
Shona Wright
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