Lady Michelle Mone OBE Biography

Lady Michelle Mone of Mayfair OBE, global speaker, entrepreneur and women’s fashion advocate. Michelle is the founder of Ultimo Brands International, the UK’s leading designer lingerie brand. Her vision is to “help women to look and feel their very best”. It is upon this simple concept that Michelle has built her successful career. Honoured by the Prime Minister with a Life Peerage, Her Majesty the Queen with an OBE for her outstanding contribution to business and regularly listed as one of the UK’s top female entrepreneurs.

Michelle grew up in the East End of Glasgow where at the age of fifteen her father became ill and wheelchair bound. Michelle had to leave school with no qualifications in search of full-time employment, which encouraged her entrepreneurial spirit to blossom. After several years working as a model Michelle secured a job with Labatts Brewers, where she excelled herself and at just 22 years old Michelle was appointed Head of Sales and Marketing for Scotland. Unfortunately, just two short years later Michelle was made redundant forcing her to look to new career paths.

In 1996, after just six weeks of being without work, the idea for Ultimo was born. It was at a dinner dance, wearing a ver y uncomfor table cleavage-enhancing bra that Michelle had the epiphany and realised the lingerie industry was crying out for innovation in the form of a bra that could exceed in comfort, cleavage-enhancement and uplift. In November, Michelle created just this and Ultimo was born.

Since the launch of Ultimo, Michelle has established herself as one of Scotland’s biggest exports and gone from strength to strength, adding ever more to her long list of awards, accolades and honours. In 2000, at the Epcot Centre in Florida, Michelle won the “World Young Business Achiever Award” and then, at the Corporate Elite Awards in London, went on to win “Business Woman of the Year”.

In 2001, at the British Apparel Export Awards, Michelle was presented with the “Best Newcomer” award by HRH the Princess Royal. Michelle’s status as one the UK’s leading entrepreneurs was confirmed when Prince Charles invited her to, first join the board of directors for The Prince’s Trust.

In October 2005, Michelle attended a speaking event with former US president Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev, which led to her involvement in setting up the Women’s Enterprise Project in the Middle East in support of The Sultan of Oman. This encouraged Michelle to deliver her inspiring speeches all around the world, positioning her as one of the UK’s most notable global speakers.

Over the years Michelle has reached out beyond the original Ultimo, with the innovation of 15 patented inventions and brands with worldwide distribution.

In 2012, following three years of intensive research and development w i t h costs of over £1million, Michelle diversified her product line with a range of tanning products in the beauty industry. UTan, an award winner and UK best seller, is available exclusively at Boots and on QVC.

Throughout its lifetime, Ultimo has worked with a whole host of high profile models and celebrities including Penny Lancaster, Rachel Hunter, Helena Christensen, Sarah Harding, Mel B, Kelly Brook and Luisana Lopilato. As PR savvy as they come, Michelle has secured over one £1billion worth of press coverage for Ultimo in the brand’s sixteen year history.

In more recent years, both Michelle’s success and profile have grown in direct proportion. Not only was Ultimo the first UK lingerie brand to debut at New York Fashion Week in 2009, but Michelle also fronted a British Airways campaign whilst being a regular fixture on national television. As an expert in business, fashion, dieting and health, Michelle has a loyal and ever increasing following of over a million on social media.

In 2015, after a year of research and crafting, Michelle launched her first jewelery collection with Diamonique for QVC.

Michelle’sTV appearances have included; Pointless Celebrities, BBC Comic Relief Does The Apprentice, BBC The Apprentice: You’re Fired, ITV 71 Degrees North and Surprise Surprise. Michelle’s most recent TV appearance was alongside Prime Minister David Cameron on the panel of ITV’s The Agenda. Michelle was also asked by David Cameron to work with the British Government throughout the Scottish referendum on the “Better Together” campaign and later with the general election.

In August 2015, Michelle, at the request of Iain Duncan Smith, embarked on The Mone Review. Travelling the UK to understand the challenges and barriers start-up businesses face in deprived areas - a voluntary project lasting ten months. Michelle’s profile is ever expanding and she travels throughout the UK, Europe and as far as South Korea and Vietnam with her speaking engagements. Back in the UK, Michelle motivates individuals through her mentoring programs.

In her private life, Michelle suffered a challenging few years of an acrimonious divorce and the fight to retain her business. Michelle has, however, come out on top buying her ex-husband out of the company and going it alone. Michelle has since forged a partnership with global lingerie giants MAS holdings, one the world’s biggest manufacturers of intimates, with a $1.4billion turnover and 63,000 employees. She is the proud mother of Rebecca, Declan and Bethany and has recently opened an office in London and re-located to a beautiful river Thames penthouse. In 2015, it was time for Michelle to take the plunge and reveal her private life to the public in her autobiography: “My Fight to the Top”, now available to purchase and number one in three Amazon charts.

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