Michelle Mone

Michelle is one of the UK's most successful female entrepreneurs and founder of international lingerie brand, Ultimo. She was born in 1951 and grew up in Glasgow. Her early ambitions were to become a model and she left school at the age of 15 to pursue her dream, but after falling pregnant with her first child and getting married she left the idea of becoming a model behind her. After working at a marketing job with brewer Labatt for two years she was promoted to their head of marketing in Scotland. It was whilst wearing an uncomfortable cleavage enhancing brassiere at a dinner dance that Michelle thought she could create a better, and more comfortable, design. She had read about a new silicone product while on holiday in Florida, and obtained the European licence to make bras from it. She founded MJM International Ltd in November 1996, and three years of research, design, and development resulted in the patented Ultimo bra. The company was launched in the traditional ship building