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Building Brands from Within: Insights from Bags of Ethics at London Business School
Exploring the role of internal branding, purpose-led strategy, and storytelling in driving sustainable growth.
On April 22nd, fittingly aligned with Earth Day, Dr Sri Ram, Founder and Managing Director, and Smruti Sriram, CEO of Bags of Ethics (part of Supreme Creations), returned to London Business School to deliver a guest lecture for the Brand Management class led by Professor Simona Botti. These sessions continue to offer a valuable exchange between lived industry experience and the fresh perspectives of future business leaders.
Why internal branding matters
Dr Sri Ram opened the session by focusing on the often-overlooked foundation of strong brands: internal branding. While external campaigns shape perception, it is the alignment of values within an organisation that sustains credibility and long-term impact.
Reflecting on iconic figures such as Phil Knight and Enzo Ferrari, he highlighted how enduring brands are built on passion, storytelling, and consistency—principles that must be embedded internally before they can resonate externally.
From purpose to practice
Drawing from his entrepreneurial journey, founding Supreme Creations, Dr Sri Ram shared how values like ethical sourcing, sustainability, and supply chain transparency have shaped the evolution of Bags of Ethics.
Collaborations with organisations including Tesco and The Co-operative Group illustrated how purpose-driven principles can translate into both cultural strength and commercial success. Central to this approach is a commitment to people, particularly a workforce that is predominantly women, and the integration of responsible manufacturing and technology to scale sustainably.
Evolving a founder’s vision
Smruti Sriram offered a complementary perspective as a second-generation leader, speaking candidly about inheriting and evolving a founder’s vision. Her focus centred on maintaining authenticity while adapting to new challenges and opportunities.
Drawing from her own experience at London Business School, she shared examples of creative collaborations that bring sustainability to life in brand storytelling. This included a recent upcycling partnership with British Airways, demonstrating how innovation and purpose can intersect in meaningful ways.
A two-way exchange
The session was marked by strong engagement from students, who explored questions around when a business becomes a brand, how internal values translate into market impact, and how companies can scale without losing their identity.
As Dr Sri Ram noted:
“It’s always a pleasure to come to LBS and meet the students—future and current leaders of exciting businesses. We’ve been coming as guest lecturers for many years, and we’ve always found a beautiful symbiotic relationship to emerge from the class in terms of what we can offer in terms of our experiences and their fresh outlook on our business.”
Looking ahead
The discussion reinforced a key message from both Dr Sri Ram and Smruti Sriram: internal branding is not just cultural, it is strategic. When values are genuinely embedded within an organisation, they become a powerful driver of resilience, trust, and long-term growth.
Bags of Ethics (part of Supreme Creations) remains committed to continuing these conversations, sharing insights, and learning alongside the next generation of global business leaders.
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