Sir David Samworth, CBE, DL Biography

Sir David Samworth CBE DL helped shape the modern food industry over a long and successful business career and also gave distinguished service in many other roles, including as a philanthropist, public servant, soldier and devoted family man.

Throughout all the years that he grew the family business with his late brothers Frank and John, a strong set of values always permeated Sir David’s business life. In particular, he placed great importance on people as the cornerstone of any successful organisation and always sought to create a working environment that reflected this ethos. Quality was also an important foundation upon which the business was built after the privations and sacrifices brought about by the war. ‘Quality is a way of life’ was, and continues to be, the Samworth Brothers company motto with Sir David noting that ‘Quality control is not on the slide rule. Quality control is in the mouth.’

David Samworth was born in Birmingham in 1935. His grandfather George Samworth had begun the family firm in the late 1890s as a pig dealer in Birmingham, with the business further developed by David’s father Frank Samworth. Like his elder twin brothers John and Frank, David was educated at Hallfield School, Birmingham and Uppingham School in Rutland.

David was always destined to join the family business, but first undertook national service joining the Royal Leicestershire Regiment and was sent as a Second Lieutenant to Khartoum in Sudan and served as aide-de-camp to the Governor General, leading to a life-long interest in Africa. His first job in the family business, known then as TN Parr, was in 1956 at John Tebbitt, a recently acquired firm of pig slaughterers and bacon curers operating at Cradley Heath, Stafford.

The TN Parr business continued to grow and David took over from his father as Managing Director. Understanding that the business world was changing and that new skills would be needed, David undertook a business management course at the Harvard Business School in the lead-up to this new role. Further growth continued, culminating in the purchase in 1969 of Pork Farms, a well-known competitor to the existing TN Parr business, which doubled the size of the operation.

This was the period of the emergence and development of the major grocery multiples which helped to further drive business growth. David Samworth led the flotation of Pork Farms in 1971, which by now was one of the leading food businesses in the UK. In 1978 the business was sold to Northern Foods, and soon afterwards David and John Samworth set about creating a new, and ultimately, even more successful independent food business, Samworth Brothers.

John Samworth had purchased an interest in a small pasty company in Cornwall called Ginsters in 1977 and in 1986 this acquisition was joined by a Leicester business, Walker & Son; the foundations of Samworth Brothers were created by these two purchases. A period of very significant organic growth followed. David and John observed changes in UK eating habits such as the advent of a fast-growing market for sandwiches that by 1991 was worth £1.8 billion a year. In 1993 the group opened a state-of-the-art bakery, Bradgate Bakery, in Leicester with the potential to make 50 million sandwich units a year. Other innovations followed including moves into convenience meals and desserts.

David stepped down as Group Chief Executive in 1999 and relinquished his role as Chairman in 2005 becoming a Life President of the business. The group’s turnover has grown from £1 million in 1977 to £200 million at the time of his departure in 1999. The group is now a £1.4 billion turnover business with more than 11,500 people and still owned by the Samworth family.

David also played an active role in the wider food sector through his career. Following the sale of Pork Farms to Northern Foods, David served as Chairman of the Meat and Livestock Commission from 1980-84, receiving a CBE for his work, and was a council member of Food of Britain. He was also a Non-Executive and later Executive Director of Imperial Group from 1982 to 1984 and a Non-Executive Director of Thorntons Ltd from 1991 to 1993.

David was a strong champion of traditional regional foods, supporting the successful applications for Protected Geographical Indicator status for Melton Mowbray pork pies and the Cornish pasty.

Beyond the business world David and his wife Rosemary set up the Samworth Foundation in 1978 in a desire to give back to their local community and to support other international causes, particularly in Africa.

Education was always a particular interest for Sir David and the Samworth Foundation has supported the establishment and development of three Academies in Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire as well as other international education projects.

Sir David also served on the Trent Regional Health Authority and as Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Leicestershire. He was knighted in 2009 for his services to charity. His values were always underpinned by his strong Christian faith, and Sir David had a long association with Leicester Cathedral – he served as the President of the Honorary Canons and supported the Cathedral in its fundraising to make Leicester the final resting place of King Richard III.

Outside of business and charitable commitments, Sir David was a champion of farming and the countryside.

He married Rosemary in 1969 and has four children, three daughters and a son, and seven grandchildren.

Sir David Samworth, CBE, DL

1935 - 2022

17th August 2022