Our history
The British Beauty Council is a not-for-profit dedicated to solving beauty’s shared challenges. Acting as the first industry-wide organisation committed to lobbying legislative issues with policy-makers, our organisation works to engage the sector to raise the reputation of the industry.
The Council was founded in 2018 by a group of leading industry professionals who realised the importance of collective action for meaningful change. Below are the pivotal activities that shaped our work in the initial years, these successes have gone on to shape industry ways of working, legislation, and perceptions.
Find out more about our current initiatives
The Council works within four key pillars, under which key areas for sector improvement are addressed. These ongoing initiatives require a nimble approach, always taking into account societal and economic changes. Click the buttons below to learn more:
POLICY & INFLUENCE
ESG
GROWTH
TALENT
Founding Members
Jane Boardman
FOUNDING CHAIR
Jane is Chief Executive of M&C Saatchi Talk which she founded in 2001 (then named Talk PR). In 2018, she became Founding Chair of the British Beauty Council, stepping down in 2022.
Millie Kendall OBE
FOUNDING CEO
Millie has been creating and marketing beauty brands for the past 30 years, working with the UK’s leading retailers. In 2022, she was awarded an OBE in the New Years Honours List for services to the beauty industry.
Anna-Marie Solowij
FOUNDING DIRECTOR
Anna-Marie is a former Beauty Director at Vogue, and co-founded BeautyMART with Millie Kendall in 2011. She became a Founding Director of the Council in 2018. Anna-Marie continues to write for magazines and newspapers including the FT Weekend and How To Spend It, The Gentlewoman and BeautyPapers.
Kate Shapland
FOUNDING DIRECTOR
Kate has been a beauty journalist for 25 years, starting her career at Harpers & Queen. In 2013 she launched her own brand, Legology, which now has global presence. She has been awarded the beauty journalist of the year and national newspaper beauty columnist numerous times.Â
Catherine Handcock
FOUNDING DIRECTOR
Catherine is a passionate advocate for UK hairdressing. She co-founded the British Beauty Council, in order to help overcome years of prejudice and misconceptions about careers in hair.
Elizabeth Barnett-Lawton
FOUNDING EDUCATION PILLAR PRESIDENT
Elizabeth has extensive experience in media and education. As a course director and senior lecturer in Higher Education, she has led and developed curriculum for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Anna Teal
FOUNDING INNOVATION PILLAR PRESIDENT
Anna has over 25 years in the beauty and wellness industry and recognised strategic leader within consumer goods, luxury brands and leading retail with Blue Chip and SME’s.
British Beauty Council: The Journey So Far
In 2022, Founding Chair Jane Boardman and CEO Millie Kendall OBE were interviewed by Advisory Board Member Sonia Haria about the initial four years of the Council. The pair explore the Council’s achievements in this time, before Boardman vacated as Chair.
Founding patrons
