Michelle Mone

Michelle is one of the UK's most successful female entrepreneurs and founder of international lingerie brand, Ultimo. She was born in 1951 and grew up in Glasgow. Her early ambitions were to become a model and she left school at the age of 15 to pursue her dream, but after falling pregnant with her first child and getting married she left the idea of becoming a model behind her. After working at a marketing job with brewer Labatt for two years she was promoted to their head of marketing in Scotland. It was whilst wearing an uncomfortable cleavage enhancing brassiere at a dinner dance that Michelle thought she could create a better, and more comfortable, design. She had read about a new silicone product while on holiday in Florida, and obtained the European licence to make bras from it.

She founded MJM International Ltd in November 1996, and three years of research, design, and development resulted in the patented Ultimo bra. The company was launched in the traditional ship building district of Glasgow, Govan, bringing to needed jobs an area which has experienced a long period of decline.

Then in 1999, the Ultimo bra was launched at Selfridges department store in London, becoming an instant best-seller. Selfridges sold the pre-launch estimate of six weeks of stock within 24 hours, which is still known as the biggest ever bra launch in the UK, with over 50 photographers present and camera crews from all over the world.

For her entrepreneurial activities, Michelle won the World Young Business Achiever Award in April 2000.

She was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2010 Queen's New Years Honours List for her services to the Lingerie Industry.