Mar 27, 2015
By Phin Upham
Anita Roddick is the founder of The Body Shop, and a human rights activist. Her company is best known for its ethics related to the beauty industry, and for selling products that take ethical consumerism in mind. Her company was one of the first to introduce beauty products that had not been tested on animals, and she worked hard to promote fair trade in any dealings with third world countries.
Roddick was best known for her activism, which had roots in her travels with the UN as a young girl. She would eventually join both Greenpeace and The Big Issue. The Big Issue was a magazine sold by homeless people, which the work of her and her husband made possible. She would later found Children on the Edge in 1990 to help children facing terrible conditions through Eastern Europe and Asia.
Her work earned recognition from Queen Elizabeth II, who appointed her Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2003. The little girl, who had been born in a bomb shelter, fighting poverty on the front lines, had international attention by then.
She decided that she would open a shop in Brighton, simply called “The Shop.” It was located in a not-too-desirable location sandwiched between two funeral parlors. Roddick stated that most of her growth was the result of circumstances and luck instead of any plan she’d prepared ahead of time. She kept her message simple and her business ethical.
Roddick died unexpectedly in 2007 to a brain hemorrhage, though she’d been suffering from Hepatitis C as well. Her brand is one of the top ten most known and respected brands in the UK.
About the Author: Phin Upham is an investor at a family office/ hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Phin Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media & Technology group. You may contact Phin on his Phin Upham website or LinkedIn page.