Celebrating Lance Forman’s 30-Year Anniversary as CEO of Forman’s

Lance’s journey began with a diverse background in finance and Government, but it is his passion for quality, tradition, and service that has defined his tenure at Forman’s. Under Lance’s leadership, Forman’s has continued to thrive, pioneering the growth of specialty British food through the launch of Forman & Field. His unwavering commitment to upholding traditional values and skills has ensured that Forman’s has become an internationally renowned Smokehouse using the same traditional smoking techniques as his father, grandfather and great-grandfather dating back to 1905.

In light of this incredible accomplishment, we were able to secure a coveted opportunity to pick Lance’s brain about amazing moments in Forman history and gain access to his wealth of knowledge about running a successful business.

We hope you enjoy gaining more insight into Forman’s history as much as we did. 

What three words would you use to define Forman’s today?

Quality, Tradition and Service

What has most surprised you about this role?

Every day brings new challenges – you can never rest on your laurels…not for a minute

What has been the most challenging aspect of this role ?

In recent years, dealing with petty regulations

What is your proudest moment?

Securing protected status for London-Cure Smoked Salmon and also having my book “Forman’s Games” published. On an ongoing basis, I am very proud of my team, they are dedicated, skilled, hard-working and loyal – No boss could ask for more.

What has been the most interesting project you have worked on?

The battle over the compulsory purchase of our factory to make way to build the Olympic Stadium

Has there been a particular year that has stood out to you?

Not especially , each year has brought new challenges – such as launching Forman & Field in 2002 ; one of the first online home delivery food businesses.

What advice would you give to others from your 30 years of experience here at Forman’s?

Know where you want to get to, have a philosophy that you can stick to which guides you through the decision making process, but don’t map out the path too rigidly. The unexpected always happens and you need to be flexible enough to deal with the problems and seize the opportunities.

If you could go back 30 years, would you have done anything different?

I would have become Prime Minister ! My experience has taught me that politics and oily fish have a lot in common

What do you think is the secret to Forman’s century of success?

Never compromising on quality. The minute you cut quality to reduce cost, it’s a slippery slope to obliteration. So we don’t do that, and it’s how the business has survived for 120 years. I learned this from my father who sadly passed away last November.

Congratulations Lance on achieving this incredible milestone and for upkeeping the traditional values which have been maintained since 1905!