Why did you choose to start your own luxury business?
From an early age I was very driven. Having this drive has always made me seek out new adventures and challenges, which meant I was never scared of setting my sights high and to take risk. The luxury sector is somewhere I've always thrived, and I built Moriarty from the ground up with my head firmly set on only working with like-minded luxury brands. The team at Moriarty have a never-ending flair for creativity and I knew our talents would fit well with the luxury sector. We are so excited to see what comes next.
What is it about British luxury that allows new, female-led brands to thrive?
Luxury brand values are defined by craftsmanship, exclusivity, innovation, sense of place & time, sophistication & design aesthetic, creative expression, relevance, heritage, and responsibility. I believe female-led brands have these values at the heart of what they do and will integrate key elements throughout their business from the top down.
Tell us about the women that inspired you on your journey?
The most inspiring businesswoman I have encountered, bar none, is Dame Stephanie Shirley, a tech pioneer, philanthropist and champion of women at work. Having arrived in Britain as an unaccompanied child refugee in 1939, she started what became Xansa plc (now part of the Sopra Group) on her dining room table with £6 in 1962. She battled sexism barely imaginable to modern women, even calling herself ‘Steve’ and pretending to be a man to be taken seriously; not even able to open a bank account without her husband’s signature; but began employing women as freelance computer programmers. She grew one of the most successful technology business of her time and made £150 million when her firm, FI Group, floated on the stock market in the nineties. She gave away £69 million to good causes and made 10 of her loyal employees millionaires. “Let it go” is her book, and I could not recommend it more highly.
moriartyevents.com
