For the past few years, the rise in the number of female entrepreneurs has increased a lot in the higher growth of the UK economy. Women’s Economic activities have empowered them economically and also helps them to contribute more to the development of the country. According to the survey of UK small business service, it is found that women entrepreneurs contribute nearly £50 billion in gross value added to the UK economy each year. Moreover, the gap between the male and the female entrepreneurs has been reduced to some extent but still exists.
However, here are some of the outstanding Woman Entrepreneurs in the UK who had achieved greater heights in a short span of time in spite of many obstacles. There are still few females, who would like to start up their small business but missing out on funding. There are many funding agencies in the UK which supports you with the fund and helps you to become a great entrepreneur.
In no particular order, I had listed the Top UK Business Women Entrepreneurs who are really making their mark in the UK and hope they would be an inspiration for many female beginners to start up their business and are set to prevail in the business community in the mere future.
Top 10 Female Entrepreneurs afflatus in the UK
- Monica Eaton Cardone
- Karren Brady
- Valerie Stark
- Ella Mills
- Pam Bateson
- Emma Kane
- Angelica Malin
- Annie-Marie Imafidon
- Jacqueline Gold
- Nayna McIntosh
1. Monica Eaton-Cardone
Monica is an International Entrepreneur, speaker, author, and industry thought leader. She started her business as an online merchant at the age of 19 and now she is the Co-Founder of Chargeback Company. Monica is a dynamic and inspirational leader who values hard work, collaboration, and innovation as her personal attributes to success. Monica has launched several successful business ventures. She provides more innovative ideas and new solutions to tackle the problem in her retail world which makes more companies and banking sectors call her repeatedly to find out fraudulent activities among online merchants. Monica is an in-demand thought leader selected by the Emerging Payments Association Advisory Board for the year 2016-2017. She has volunteered herself in various community involvements and has vast experience. She is also noted as a strong voice for women to succeed in business despite many barriers in life for females.
Skillset
- Threat metric analysis
- Product and technology system development
- Ecommerce retention
- Risk relativity
- Agile process design
Accolades
- TBBJ200 Private Companies Award
- Women in IT Awards in 2016 as International star of the year
- Technology innovation star award
- Best Chargeback management solution
- Best Industry solution
2. Karren Brady
Karren is the most influential, high profile, and respected female business leader in the UK. One of the best entrepreneur who is rated among the top 50 inspirational woman entrepreneurs in the world. She has more passion for the promotion of women in business in the UK. Karren is the CEO of West Ham United Football club one of the leading premier League Football clubs and currently valued at £800,000,000.
Skillset
- Key consultant for Syco Entertainment. (Company Jointly owned by Simon Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment)
- Managing Director of a UK plc, on London Stock Exchange
Accolades
- CBE for the services rendered to women in business and entrepreneurship
- She was appointed as Government’s Business Ambassador by the Prime Minister in the year 2013.
- She is also one of the top motivating speakers in the world
- Author of Sunday Times best-selling Auto Biography Strongwoman
- She is also a true inspiration appearing on the BBC’s Apprentice and Leading Voice, Contributor, and commentator on Business affairs and news programs.
3. Valerie Stark
Valerie Stark is the entrepreneur and Yoga, Mindfulness teacher. She is the co-founder and CEO of Huggle, a dating app. Stark has completed her interior design course and also began working as a secretary for technology. As a beginner, she knew no one in the UK so she started using Instagram by which she got a chance to meet Stina sanders with whom she initiated the idea and implemented the same. Huggle helps you to find dates or friends or even both at times. The app cemented by itself as one of the most popular social discovery apps in the UK.
Skillset
- She is also a blogger about gardening
- Board member at Bumble
- Advisor to Badoo
Accolades
- Stark is considered as the top feminist entrepreneur
- She is ranked among the top 30 Female entrepreneurs in the UK by Time Magazine in the year 2018.
4. Ella Mills (Previously Woodward)
Ella Mills is a cookery author and entrepreneur. Her blog named deliciouslyella.com is her first blog, which had nearly 110 million hits in the last three years. She was an advocate but turned against after being cross fired over ‘clean-eating’. After eight years Ella started a Blog and her company operates on deli an App that stands top in Food & Drinks in the UK and a range of food products. Her team Publishes regular wellness content along with these operations. She has raised £2.46m equity finance totaling as a limited investor base. Always be optimistic is her personal attitude.
Skillset
- champion of eating well
- Nearly million Instagram followers since from the day of launch in 2012
- A very active and energetic young entrepreneur who believes in hard work and always she has been outspoken.
Accolades
- Awarded Specsavers Silver Bestseller Award for her debut cookbook Deliciously Ella
- Award to mark the “Huge Success” was honored in the ceremony at the Hachette offices in central London.
5. Pam Bateson
Pam is a co-founder and CEO at Thrive Partner. She started her business in a joint venture and monetize on Coaching and Mentoring. Thrive is a platform that connects learners around the network of almost 200 coaches and mentors – on Demand and works 24/7. She has given the business a great-value solution that measures how learning happens. Clients are from various sectors like BBC, MTV, BG Group, London Borough of Lambeth, Interbrand, and The Cabinet Office.
Skillset
- She has written many articles including “How to Work from Home” and still more.
- Actively involved in organizations like the British Psychological Society
- Various Group activities like Speak out, Listen up, YOUR CAREER GROUP, Women Who Tech, and many more.
- Expertise in Leadership and Culture Change
- Also, run a master’s in accredited Leadership and Coaching Programs.
Accolades
- Selected as the Mayor of London’s International Business Programme
- One of the best Female Entrepreneur in 2018 by About Time Magazine
- Thought Leader of Futureproof Learning and Human-to-human Business
- Keynote Speaker for organizations like Training Journal, Women of Silicon Roundabout.
6. Emma Kane
Emma Kane is the founder of Redleaf Communications (Rebranded as Newgate Communications). She has nearly 600 employees working from home successfully. She has an overall experience of 30 years and had gained working experience in both agencies and in-house. Her first in-house role was as a Head of Marketing and Communications at ProShare, the body set up by London Exchange. She would be always very active and energetic and used to divide her time between executive roles and her philanthropic work. She has also mentioned that the market “remained Challenging” during 2019 due to uncertainty over Brexit Timings. Despite this situation, she managed and the overall performance of the majority of UK agencies was significantly improved in the prior year.
Skillset
- Specializes in Strategic Communications and crisis management and Financial PR
- Chairman of Barbican Centre Trust
- She has a passion for art and an avid sculptor.
Accolades
- She was awarded the Freedom of City of London in 2017.
7. Angelica Malin
Angelica Malin is an award-winning entrepreneur, podcast, and event host who resides in London. Angelica is the founder and Editor in chief of About Time Magazine, one of the leading UK’s Lifestyle magazine. She is a young Ambitious entrepreneur who has even now launched About Time Academy and #sheStarteditLIVE, the festival of female empowerment. She is a fresh voice of female entrepreneurship in the UK who hosts sell-out-female-focused festivals and events.
Skillset
- Confident Public Speaker
- A unique voice in the entrepreneur space
- Enthusiastically always available for Keynote talks, event hosting, and Broadcast opportunities.
Accolades
- Built-up a monthly audience over 85,000 readers worldwide
- 100,000 followers in social media
- Angelica has been moderated over 90 events in the last 2 years.
- Has been lauded for her outstanding inspirational speech
- Feature in influencer campaigns for NatWest Business, ASTO, and QuickBooks.
8. Annie-Marie Imafidon
Annie-Marie Imafidon MBE is a prodigy in every sense of the word. She has great skills and is the role model for most of the UK Audience.at the age of 11 she was the first young girl ever to pass A-level computing and at the age of just 20, she received her Master’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Oxford University.
Skillset
- Tech, A.I and future of the work
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Youth Entrepreneurship
- Keynote speaker, presenter, and conference facilitator.
Accolades
- Annie Marie featured on the 2019 Royal Institute Christmas Lecture and conducted interviews with famous faces from the tech world like Rachel Riley, Lewis Hamilton, etc.
- Hosting high popular women tech charge Podcast for the evening standard. And many more.
9. Jacqueline Gold
Jacqueline Gold CBE is the Chief executive of Ann Summers and knicker box and is renowned for managing a company run by women and for women. As she learned the Ann Summers of the 1970’s she saw the potential to change the focus of a business and create a business and brand which mainly focused on women which allows them to browse safely and purchase or shop for lingerie and sex toys in a safe and female-friendly environment. Jacqueline gathered ideas from home parties and developed the Ann Summers Party plan which potentially proven.
Skillset
- Hard work, Determination, and belief
- She believes in customer satisfaction and understands the women needs, good instincts and always listening to her customers
- An online store that allows customers to shop by brand
- A thriving online business and wholesale partnership with ASOS, House of Fraser and shop direct.
Accolades
- Most powerful women in Business by Retail weeks
- Inspirational Businesswomen in the UK by Barclay’s Bank
- Good Housekeeping
- Inspirational celebrity at the Inspirational Women awards in 2012 and many more.
10. Nayna McIntosh
Nayna is the CEO and founder of Hope Fashion with nearly 30 years of experience in Fashion retail. She has also worked for M&S, Next, ASDA, and Per Una in a variety of senior sales, marketing, and operations roles. She actually started her career as an M&S Management trainee and rejoined under Stuart Rose’s stewardship and was quickly appointed to the Management Board.
Skillset
- A key member of the Executive teams
- Worked in some of the UK’s innovative and fast-growing fashion brands
- Passionate about finding her own brand
Accolades
- She was named in FTSE-100 ‘Women to Watch’ (2009)
- shortlisted for Variety Catherine Awards for Fashion and Retail (2016)
- Nayna has a track record of building retail brands that put customers at the center.
Hope, people would be inspired a lot after reading the achievements by Top Female Entrepreneurs in the UK at various walks of their life where age is not a constraint at all. If you have the will power to reach your goal, then you never see any obstacles or hindrance in your path as they are in various fields.
If you feel we missed a Best Inspiring Female Entrepreneur, you can share with us the details to [email protected] and it will be added to this top list.
