Jo Malone

Jo Malone CBE is one of Britain’s most inspiring entrepreneurs, celebrated for transforming creativity into global business success. Acclaimed as the ‘English scent maverick’, Jo began her career as a facial therapist before discovering her passion for fragrance while working from her home-based skincare clinic in London. Her handmade creations quickly attracted a devoted following, leading to the launch of Jo Malone London, one of the world’s most iconic fragrance brands. After selling the business to The Estée Lauder Companies in 1999, she remained Creative Director until 2006, before making the courageous decision to leave the company entirely and begin again from scratch.

Rather than viewing change as a setback, Jo embraced it as an opportunity to reinvent herself. In 2011, she founded Jo Loves, building a new luxury fragrance brand centred on creativity, innovation and authenticity. Her entrepreneurial journey continued in 2023 when she and her husband Gary relocated to Dubai, where they launched Jo Creates, a company designed to explore what she calls ‘the five senses of Jo’ through new business ventures. The first of these, Jo Vodka, launched in 2025. Jo’s willingness to take risks, challenge convention and continually evolve has established her as a powerful example of resilient leadership and entrepreneurial thinking.

Jo’s leadership has been shaped as much by adversity as success. Growing up in government-subsidised housing, overcoming dyslexia, rebuilding her career after leaving the company that bore her name and recovering from breast cancer have all strengthened her belief that resilience is the foundation of lasting achievement. Her contributions to business have earned widespread recognition, including appointment as MBE in 2008, promotion to CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2018 for services to the British economy, and induction into the World Retail Congress Hall of Fame in 2016. These honours reflect not only her commercial success but also her influence as a leader who inspires others to think differently.

Today, Jo is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, sharing practical lessons on leadership, resilience, creativity and entrepreneurship with audiences around the world. She encourages leaders to embrace uncertainty, trust their instincts and see reinvention as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. Her expertise has also been recognised by the BBC, which invited her to become one of its Maestros, with her course, ‘How to Think Like an Entrepreneur’, achieving international success. Through every keynote, Jo demonstrates that great leadership begins with courage, curiosity and the confidence to create your own path.