To mark the last Monday of Women's History Month, we celebrate the recent passing of the inspiring businesswomen Jacqueline Gold, an individual who conquered the business world, broke glass ceilings and opened doors for women throughout her career.
Jacqueline Gold (1960-2023) was a British businesswoman best known for orchestrating the rise of the Ann Summers brand, a company where she later became CEO.
Gold began her career as a summer intern at Ann Summers, an ailing company that had recently been purchased by her father. Ann Summers boasted only four stores within its portfolio at this time. Inspired by an invitation and visit to a Tupperware party in East London, she saw a vision in selling lingerie and toys marketed by Ann Summers to women in the privacy of their own homes. Gold launched the 'Ann Summers Party Plan', a home marketing plan for this purpose, marking a breakthrough for the company. She was appointed CEO of Ann Summers in 1987 and turned the company into a multi-million-pound business with a vast online presence and around 80 brick-and-mortar stores.
Gold was recognised for her achievements in business on multiple occasions. In 2007, the magazine Retail Week voted her the second Most Powerful Woman in Retail. She was also named one of Britain's Most Powerful Women by several publications, including Cosmopolitan. In the 2016 New Year Honours List, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to entrepreneurship, women in business and social enterprise.
Read obituaries dedicated to her in several publications:
⚡️ "Jacqueline Gold freed women to shamelessly enjoy themselves" (The Economist)
⚡️ "Jacqueline Gold, 62, Dies; Executive Tapped Into the Female Libido" (NY Times)
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