Michelle Mone OBE, 39, is the co-owner of MJM International and creator of Ultimo, the UK’s leading designer lingerie brand. Listed as one of the top three female entrepreneurs in the UK, Michelle has built a hugely successful career on an incredibly simple concept: giving today’s women what they want.

In the 2010 New Years Honours Michelle Mone was awarded an OBE for services to business.

Michelle Mone OBE, 39, is the co-owner of MJM International and creator of Ultimo,the UK’s leading designer lingerie brand. Listed as one of the top three femaleentrepreneurs in the UK and recognised by the Queen with an OBE honour for her contribution to the lingerie industry, Michelle has built a hugely successful career on an incredibly simple concept: giving today’s women what they want.

Entrepreneurial spirit was prevalent from an early age in Michelle, who grew up in theeast end of Glasgow. Michelle left school at 15 with no qualifications to find full-time employment, after her father was struck down by an illness leaving him confined toa wheelchair. To support her family Michelle took on a job at Labatt Brewers’ andquickly climbed the ranks from office junior to senior manager, running the Sales &Marketing team by the time she was just 20 yrs old.

But it was in 1996 when her idea for Ultimo was born. Whilst attending a dinner dancewith her husband Michael, Michelle was wearing a very uncomfortable cleavage enhancing bra and as a result had a ‘light bulb’ moment; Michelle decided to invent a bra that was more comfortable and cleavage enhancing than any other bra on the market. MJM International was set up in November 1996.

Since launching the business Michelle has established herself as one of Scotland’s biggest exports; in 2000 Michelle won the ‘World Young Business Achiever Award’ at the Epcot Centre, Florida, and then ‘Business Woman of the Year’ at the Corporate
Elite Awards in London.

In 2001 Prince Charles invited Michelle to join the Board of Directors for The Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust andmore recently his Board of Main Council, confirming her status as one of the UK’s leading female entrepreneurs. Michelle also won ‘Best Newcomer’ at the British Apparel Export Awards, presented by HRH the Princess Royal, adding to her longlist of awards, accolades and recognitions.

In October 2005 Michelle attended a speaking engagement with former US president Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev,and went on to support the Sultan of Oman in setting up women’s enterprise in the Middle East. Michelle has since become a high-profile guest at speaking engagements and corporate events all over the world.

Over the years Michelle’s business has gone from strength-to-strength, developing beyond the original umbrella ofUltimo to encompass eleven patented “Miracle” inventions and brands including Ultimo Boudoir, Ultimo Swimwear, Ultimo Shapewear, Miss Ultimo and partner lines including Diamond Boutique for Tesco, Adore Moi for Debenhams and Michelle for George for Asda, named after her.

In addition to its jointly owned brands, MJM International currently supply Selfridges, Tesco, Debenhams, Asda, Next,Figleaves and Asos.com, along with a number of independent lingerie stores throughout Europe. Michelle has also recentlyexpanded into womenswear with Ultimo Couture, a line of luxury evening dresses, and bridal wear with Ultimo CoutureBridal, a collection of ‘off the rail’ wedding dresses exclusive to Debenhams.

Over the years Ultimo has established a large and loyal customer base and contracts with a string of high-profile modelsand celebrities, including Penny Lancaster, Rachel Hunter, Helena Christensen, Sarah Harding, Mel B and Kelly Brook.

Over recent years Michelle’s success has soared; not only was Ultimo the first UK lingerie brand to debut on the catwalk atNew York Fashion Week in 2009, but she has opened 23 ‘shop in shops’ within Debenhams in key cities throughout the UK and landed a mammoth deal with Tesco clothing to develop, design and manufacture ‘Diamond Boutique’ lingerie. Michellehas also become a popular media personality having appeared on the likes BBC’s Comic Relief Does the Apprentice, 71Degrees North and this autumn will appear on Celebrity MasterChef.

Michelle currently lives on the outskirts of Glasgow with her husband Michael and their three children. Michelle has achieveda remarkable level of success to date, juggling the demands of her business, together with motherhood, but – in her ownwords – ‘this is only the beginning’.