Baroness Michelle Mone’s story is incredible. Growing 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 Lady Mone to leave school without any qualifications in search of full-time employment, sparking her instinct for entrepreneurship. At the age of just 22, Lady Mone excelled herself to Head of Sales and Marketing in Scotland for the Glasgow-based Labatts Brewers. Unfortunately, being made redundant after two short years.

In 1996, after only six weeks out of work, Lady Mone 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.

The Baroness’s story is one of self empowerment –

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from. It doesn’t matter what education you manage to get. It doesn’t matter your race if you’re from money or not from money, if you’ve got that passion and determination you can make it. We’ve got to all have that confidence. We’re only on this earth once so why not just go for it. And as soon as you doubt yourself or your product or your company, everyone else will doubt you” 

Here is Baroness Michelle Mone speaking at the Pendulum Summit 2018 about how she did not let herself become defined by her challenges and instead turned the challenges she faced into opportunities: