Founder of Ultimo, the UK's leading lingerie brand, Baroness Michelle Mone set out with a very simple vision of helping women look and feel their very best.
She is regularly listed as one of the UK's top female entrepreneurs, and it was upon that simple concept Baroness Mone built her career and influence; being honoured with a Life Peerage to the House of Lords and an OBE from HM The Queen, for outstanding contributions to business.
Entrepreneurial spirit was prevalent from an early age in Michelle, who grew up in the impoverished East End of Glasgow when, at the age of fifteen, her father fell ill and was subsequently declared paraplegic and wheelchair bound for life. This forced the young Michelle Mone to leave school without any qualifications in search of full-time employment, sparking her instinct for entrepreneurship. At the age of just 22, she excelled herself and quickly climbed the ranks from office junior to Head of Sales and Marketing in Scotland for the Glasgow-based Labatt's Brewers, however she was made redundant after just two years.
In 1996, after only six weeks unemployed, Michelle was at a dinner dance wearing a very uncomfortable cleavage-enhancing bra. It was here the Baroness had an epiphany on what the lingerie industry was missing, and the world-famous Ultimo bra was born; a bra that was more comfortable and cleavage-enhancing than any other bra on the market.
After the launch of Ultimo, Michelle Mone quickly established herself as one of Scotland's finest exports, winning the World Young Business Achiever Award in 2000 at the Epcot Centre in Florida, as well as Business Woman of the Year at the Corporate Elite Awards in London.
Her status as one of the UK's leading entrepreneurs was confirmed soon after when HRH Prince Charles invited her to 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, leading to her involvement in setting up the Women's Enterprise Project in the Middle East in support of The Sultan of Oman. It was then she began to realise that her experiences and wisdom could transform lives and inspire others in the face of adversity.
Despite facing a challenging few years in her private life, suffering an acrimonious divorce and battle to retain her business, Lady Mone is now one of the UK's most notable business speakers and is in-demand all over the world.
She has inspired, coached and mentored audiences and individuals in over 50 countries. This culminated in Michelle Mone being given her Life Peerage in 2015, then being asked by the Prime Minister to conduct The Mone Review; an insight into helping start up businesses in deprived areas.
The proud mother of Rebecca, Declan and Bethany, Michelle sold Ultimo to global lingerie giants MAS Holdings - one of the world's largest manufacturers of intimates, with a $1.4 billion turnover and 63,000 employees. A truly inspiring story, Baroness Michelle Mone revealed all of her struggles and successes in her 2015 autobiography My Fight to the Top, which ranked at number one in three Amazon charts.
Michelle Mone's success continues to soar, as does her public profile, and is a regular fixture on national television as an expert in diet, health, fashion and business. She also boasts a Twitter following in excess of 900,000 people, a figure that is growing daily.
She is regularly listed as one of the UK's top female entrepreneurs, and it was upon that simple concept Baroness Mone built her career and influence; being honoured with a Life Peerage to the House of Lords and an OBE from HM The Queen, for outstanding contributions to business.
Entrepreneurial spirit was prevalent from an early age in Michelle, who grew up in the impoverished East End of Glasgow when, at the age of fifteen, her father fell ill and was subsequently declared paraplegic and wheelchair bound for life. This forced the young Michelle Mone to leave school without any qualifications in search of full-time employment, sparking her instinct for entrepreneurship. At the age of just 22, she excelled herself and quickly climbed the ranks from office junior to Head of Sales and Marketing in Scotland for the Glasgow-based Labatt's Brewers, however she was made redundant after just two years.
In 1996, after only six weeks unemployed, Michelle was at a dinner dance wearing a very uncomfortable cleavage-enhancing bra. It was here the Baroness had an epiphany on what the lingerie industry was missing, and the world-famous Ultimo bra was born; a bra that was more comfortable and cleavage-enhancing than any other bra on the market.
After the launch of Ultimo, Michelle Mone quickly established herself as one of Scotland's finest exports, winning the World Young Business Achiever Award in 2000 at the Epcot Centre in Florida, as well as Business Woman of the Year at the Corporate Elite Awards in London.
Her status as one of the UK's leading entrepreneurs was confirmed soon after when HRH Prince Charles invited her to 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, leading to her involvement in setting up the Women's Enterprise Project in the Middle East in support of The Sultan of Oman. It was then she began to realise that her experiences and wisdom could transform lives and inspire others in the face of adversity.
Despite facing a challenging few years in her private life, suffering an acrimonious divorce and battle to retain her business, Lady Mone is now one of the UK's most notable business speakers and is in-demand all over the world.
She has inspired, coached and mentored audiences and individuals in over 50 countries. This culminated in Michelle Mone being given her Life Peerage in 2015, then being asked by the Prime Minister to conduct The Mone Review; an insight into helping start up businesses in deprived areas.
The proud mother of Rebecca, Declan and Bethany, Michelle sold Ultimo to global lingerie giants MAS Holdings - one of the world's largest manufacturers of intimates, with a $1.4 billion turnover and 63,000 employees. A truly inspiring story, Baroness Michelle Mone revealed all of her struggles and successes in her 2015 autobiography My Fight to the Top, which ranked at number one in three Amazon charts.
Michelle Mone's success continues to soar, as does her public profile, and is a regular fixture on national television as an expert in diet, health, fashion and business. She also boasts a Twitter following in excess of 900,000 people, a figure that is growing daily.