Businesswoman, broadcaster, author and activist Mary Portas made her name creating change.
Aged 30, she became a board member at Harvey Nichols before founding her creative consultancy Portas. Mary has since worked with some of the biggest names in global retail.
Her BBC series – Mary Queen of Shops – premiered in 2007 and she has presented on television and radio for the BBC and Channel 4 ever since. Mary’s podcast series include Beautiful Misfits and #1 business podcast The Kindness Economy.
In 2009, she partnered with Save The Children to reinvent charity shops. To date, the 26 Mary’s Living & Giving shops nationwide have raised more than £30 million for charity. In 2011, Mary conducted a review of the future for high streets for the British government.
Mary is the author of three books: an autobiography Shop Girl [ 2015] and two non-fiction books - Work Like A Woman: A Manifesto [2018]; and Rebuild: how to thrive in the new Kindness Economy [2021].
As co-chair of the Better Business Act, Mary heads a coalition of businesses calling for a change in the law to ensure UK companies align their interests with those of wider society and the environment.