Famous British Women Entrepreneurs

Best known for her roles in the Austin Powers franchise, Bedazzled, and The Royals, Elizabeth Hurley began her career as an Estee Lauder model. A trained ballerina, she has also been in the news for her relationship with Hugh Grant and her marriage to textile magnate Arun Nayar.

British-American actor Tracey Ullman began her career with sketch-comedy shows such as Three of a Kind and later had her own Fox show, The Tracey Ullman Show, which featured 30-second segments of The Simpsons in between, making the latter a hit, too. She rose to become the third-richest comedian from Britain.

Domino Kirke was scouted by producer Andres Levin while performing at a pub and later released her own music. She is also the girlfriend of Penn Badgley, better known as Joe Goldberg from the Netflix series You. She is a doula, too, and co-owns the doula agency Carriage House Birth.

Apart from being a traveler and a mountaineer, Anne Lister was also known as the world’s "first modern lesbian". Nicknamed Gentleman Jack for her androgynous fashion, which almost always included the color black, she penned diaries that contained many secret codes that were deciphered much after her death.

Reality star and entrepreneur Gemma Collins soared to fame with reality shows such as The Only Way Is Essex, I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, Celebrity Big Brother, and Dancing on Ice. She later launched her own reality franchise, Gemma Collins: Diva, and her own BBC podcast.

An internationally recognized fashion designer and style icon, Victoria Beckham is widely regarded as one of the most powerful women in the UK. She was appointed an OBE for services to the fashion industry in the 2017 New Year Honours. Also a popular singer, she was part of the best-selling female group of all time, Spice Girls.

Discovered by Eileen Ford, Vanessa Angel started modeling at age 14. She transitioned to movies with Spies Like Us and has since worked in several series such as Weird Science and movies such as Kingpin. She missed out on Lucy Lawless’s role in Xena: Warrior Princess due to an illness.

Best known as Anna Devane from General Hospital and All My Children, Emmy-winning actor Finola Hughes had started her career with the Northern Ballet Company. She also worked at West End and played Victoria, as part of the original cast of Cats. She and her husband have also adopted two children.

Deborah Meaden launched her first business right after leaving college and was one of the first to launch a Stefanel franchise in the UK. Known for her appearance on Dragons' Den, she has invested in countless businesses and is also associated with charitable organizations such as the WWF.

Sam Faiers is best known for her appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and The Only Way Is Essex. She is in a relationship with real-estate developer Paul Knightley and has also starred with him in The Mummy Diaries. She also has her own fitness website, which showcases health food recipes.

Anita Roddick was a British businesswoman and human rights activist. She was also a passionate crusader for environmental issues. She founded the British version of The Body Shop, now The Body Shop International Limited. Her company was among the first to prohibit the use of ingredients tested on animals in some products. She was also involved with Greenpeace.  

Marie-Chantal Claire is the wife of Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece. Her parents-in-law are Constantine II of Greece and Anne-Marie of Denmark. Her husband is the heir apparent to the now-defunct throne of Greece. The daughter of a prominent businessman, she married Pavlos in 1995. She is the founder of Marie-Chantal, an international childrenswear brand. 

Best known for her appearances on the shows The Only Way Is Essex and Celebrity Big Brother 8, Amy Childs also had her own show, It's All About Amy. She is also known for her on-and-off relationship with Bradley Wright, who is a builder with a bad criminal record.

Clarissa Dickson Wright was an English TV personality, celebrity cook, businesswoman, writer, and former barrister. Best remembered for appearing in the popular TV cooking program, Two Fat Ladies, along with Jennifer Paterson, Dickson Wright went on to become an important name in the culinary world. She also published several books and audio books pertaining to cooking.

Jennie McAlpine is an English TV actress and businesswoman. Interested in performing from childhood, she used to put up shows in her backyard and entertain her neighbors. She went on to pursue an acting career and is best known for her role in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She is involved in humanitarian endeavors as well.

Lucy Watson is a TV personality, businesswoman, and animal rights activist. She gained fame after appearing in the E4 hit show Made in Chelsea. She has been featured in many magazines and has collaborated with several brands, including Nasty Gal and Wilkinson Sword. She is also the author of two vegan cookbooks and runs a company called All Hearts.  

Isabel Maxwell is a French-born entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of Magellan, an early search engine. She studied at the University of Edinburgh. She first worked in film and TV production before venturing into technology, eventually becoming the president of Commtouch, an Israeli internet company. She has been listed as a technology pioneer of the World Economic Forum.  

Julia Morley is a British businesswoman who is the chairperson and CEO of Miss World Organization. She began her career as a model and eventually forayed into business. As the chairperson of Miss World, she introduced "Beauty With A Purpose", a cause to raise money for disadvantaged children. She received the Variety Humanitarian Award in 2016. 

Jacqueline Gold is a British businesswoman estimated to be the 16th richest woman in Great Britain. She is the chief executive of Gold Group International, Ann Summers, and Knickerbox. The daughter of businessman David Gold, she began her career working under her father. Within years, she became an established businessperson in her own right. 

Suzanne Dando is an English former gymnast who has represented Great Britain in important events like the 1979 World Gymnastics Championships and the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Suzanne Dando announced her retirement from gymnastics after the 1980 Olympics and then went on to work as a TV broadcaster for many channels, including Sky Sports, BBC One, and Channel 4.

A well-known South African socialite and businesswoman, Hazel Crane once smuggled diamonds and worked at a strip club. She had also been a nurse. She was gunned down while traveling in her car to testify against Israeli mafia boss Lior Saat. Her interesting life later became public through her post-humous memoir.

Eleanor Coade was a British businesswoman known for her astute entrepreneurial, business, and marketing skills. She manufactured Neoclassical statues, architectural decorations, and garden ornaments. She created stoneware for many famous buildings, including St George's Chapel, The Royal Pavilion, Brighton, and Carlton House. She was one of the few women to run a highly successful business in the Georgian era.