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Happy International Women’s Day to all the inspirational female founders who chose Appointedd
In the world of retail, where trends shift like sand and consumer loyalty is hard-won, a remarkable group of women are leading the way when it comes to customer engagement. They’ve built empires and fundamentally changed how consumers shop, dress, and see themselves. This International Woman’s Day, we celebrate the risk-takers and trailblazers who transformed their dreams into billion-pound businesses.
These aren’t stories of overnight success, but narratives of resilience, strategic brilliance, and an unwavering belief in their vision. These women re-wrote the rules of retail.
But what else unites them? That the businesses they founded chose to use Appointedd to power the customer journey in their business. Choosing to ensure that the customer has the most personalised journey possible, they have also chosen to work with another female founded company 💛 Thanks ladies!
So here’s to the inspirational female founders…
Charlotte Tilbury
Charlotte Tilbury MBE is the President, Chairman, Chief Creative Officer and Founder of Charlotte Tilbury Beauty. Her award-winning luxury makeup, skincare, and fragrance brand launched in 2013.
Charlotte was born in London and raised in Ibiza. She was inspired by her mother Patsy, who taught her that lipstick is ‘happiness in a tube’.
Charlotte realised that makeup is powerful and psychological, “If you look good, you feel good and the world reacts to you in a powerful way”.
Before launching her brand, Charlotte spent years as one of the most sought-after makeup artists, working with supermodels (she was just 19 when she worked on one of her first covers with Kate Moss), creating countless iconic looks, and consulting for brands like Tom Ford and MAC. She has worked on over 100 Vogue covers 🤯
Industry colleagues told her that the market was overcrowded and that she’d never make it, but when she launched Charlotte Tilbury Beauty at Selfridges, the response was immediate and overwhelming.
The brand enjoyed early success, leveraging Charlotte’s celebrity contacts and customers, who would rave about her products. In 2018 Charlotte Tilbury had a revenue of over £100 million, and her business was bought in 2020 for £1.3 billion.
Charlotte’s mission has always been to unlock the magic of confidence and empower everyone to live their lives to the fullest, without limits.
Book fabulous experiences at Charlotte Tilbury here
Trinny Woodall
Before Trinny gained success as the founder and CEO of Trinny London, she was a fashion presenter in the early naughties - unforgettably, one-half of the iconic makeover duo, Trinny and Susannah. But in 2017, with a 20 year career in television behind her, Trinny was ready to build her beauty empire.
Trinny’s early career included selling stocks on trading floors, trading commodities in a male dominated London (where she and her future business partner Susannah Constantine were often the only women among 60 men), and eventually moving into fashion media.
Trinny recognised that women at different stages of life have universal feelings about their bodies and appearance, yet the beauty industry largely ignored women over 35.
She told Forbes “The biggest change for me when I reached 50 was, in the politest way possible, I didn’t really care what people thought any more. That allows you to be true to yourself, your ideas, and what you want to do.”
She launched her empire from her kitchen table, with a revolutionary concept: stackable, cream-based makeup that simplified beauty routines while delivering premium quality and she’s grown it from the ground up, turning it into a $250 million beauty empire.
Book amazing experiences at Trinny London here
Nicky Kinnaird
In 1991, a Belfast-born entrepreneur with a degree in land management and training as a Chartered Surveyor had an idea that would transform British beauty retail forever. Nicky Kinnaird MBE is the founder of Space NK.
Space NK first opened its doors in Covent Garden in 1993, selling fresh smoothies, independent fashion labels, and hard-to-find beauty products from emerging international brands. Nicky’s masterstroke was identifying the opportunity for a retail space where premium-price cosmetics and beauty treatments could be promoted in an upscale environment, the luxury apothecary.
She sourced products from around the world that were largely unavailable in the UK, and made sure her whole team were trained to be experts in the products they sold. The concept was an overnight success. By 1996, Nicky tweaked the model to focus solely on beauty products, and expansion followed rapidly.
In 2014 Nicky stepped down from her role at Space NK to set up her own brand consultancy after 21 years at the helm. Her consultancy now works with leaders in beauty, wellness, fitness, and lifestyle sectors across the world.
Nicky received an MBE in 2009 for her contributions to retail and beauty. Her legacy extends far beyond the 80+ Space NK stores across the UK - she pioneered a new way of experiencing beauty retail.
Book Space NK’s wonderful experiences here
Jamie Genevieve
Jamie began as a makeup artist in Glasgow before turning to YouTube in the early 2010s. She loved working on makeup counters during the day, and editing her videos in the evenings. When her community started forming and people starting trusting her recommendations, she realised she had created something pretty special.
In 2020, she launched VIEVE, a brand rooted in versatility, inclusivity and real-world glamour. VIEVE was built around products Jamie genuinely felt were missing: hardworking, artist-led formulas designed for real faces, real skin tones, and real routines.
VIEVE didn’t rely on hype alone. It was launched in the pandemic, when retail was uncertain, supply chains were unstable, and the world was on pause. But the brand’s debut collection sold out regardless. Customers weren’t just buying products; they were buying into her decade-long credibility. Her authenticity translated into loyalty.
VIEVE has since expanded into complexion, fragrance, and global partnerships. It’s won industry awards and entered major beauty halls.
Jamie’s journey represents a different, new kind of empire building: digital-first, community-powered, and unapologetically modern. She’s part of a generation of founders who understands that connection is currency, and that storytelling is a powerful strategy.
Book to experience the magic of VIEVE here
The power of possibility
These women didn’t wait for permission. They didn’t wait for the “right time” or the “perfect conditions”. Charlotte launched when industry insiders said the market was saturated. Trinny built her biggest venture when society whispered she should be slowing down. Nicky pioneered an entirely new retail concept. And Jamie built from digital influence into tangible retail power.
What connects these extraordinary woman isn’t just their success, it’s their refusal to accept the narrative that limited are fixed, that timing must be perfect, or that certain dreams belong only to certain people.
This International Woman’s Day, let’s look at these stories and not only inspiring, but instructive. They remind us that you don’t the “right” background, the “right” timing, or unanimous approval. But that these could be the first steps in building something extraordinary.
Here’s to the women who refuse to wait. Who build from kitchen tables. Who pivot from redundancy to revolution. The ones who start again at 50 with more fire and passion than at 25. Who turn setbacks into strategies. And those who see white space in crowded markets and fill it would something amazing.
They didn’t just build empires, they built proof that us women can do anything.
(Thanks for choosing Appointedd!)
