Celebrity ExpertsMary Portas OBE is a leading retail expert, business speaker, and brand strategist who shares insights on customer experience, leadership, and the future of retail.
The British media have crowned Mary “Queen of Shops”.
Starting her retail career at John Lewis, Harrods, and Topshop, Mary joined Harvey Nichols and, in 1989, progressed to the Board as Creative Director.
Portas led Harvey Nics’ transformation into a world-renowned fashion store.
In 1997, Mary launched her agency, producing challenging campaigns and championing brand development for clients, including Clarks, Louis Vuitton, Oasis, Swarovski, Dunhill, Boden, Thomas Pink, Patek Philippe and Westfield.
Mary Portas OBE – Keynote Speaker:
As a popular guest speaker, Mary is invited to deliver keynote speeches at events all around the world to leading brands on topics such as:
- Consumer Behaviour
- Rebuild – The Kindness Economy
- Retailing
- Retail Strategy
- Branding
- Management
- Marketing
- Customer Experience
- Retail Challenges
Television:
Inspired by her weekly ‘Shop!’ column in the Telegraph Magazine, Mary’s television career began in 2007, when the BBC2 series Mary Queen of Shops documented her efforts to rescue failing independent boutiques. The show was nominated for two Royal Television Society Awards and a BAFTA.
Other shows include:
- Mary, Queen of Charity Shops
- Mary Portas: Secret Shopper
- Mary, Queen of Frocks
- Mary’s Bottom Line
- Mary, Queen of the High Street
Author:
Mary has published three books: Windows: The Art of Retail Display and How to Shop. In February 2015, she released Shopgirl, a memoir of her early years. She has also developed a series of masterclasses on successful retailing.
Rebuild – How to Thrive in the New Kindness Economy
How we live, buy and sell is changing, and it’s changing for good. Mary’s book ‘Rebuild‘ is a vital guide to reset post-pandemic and build back better.
Mary discusses that over the past thirty years, purchases have been dominated by the biggest, fastest and cheapest. But those values no longer resonate. We’ve come to realise that more doesn’t equal better.
We are all ready to put people and the planet before profit. The ‘Kindness Economy’ is a new value system in which businesses must understand their fundamental role in the fabric of our lives to thrive. Because we don’t just want to buy from brands – we want to buy into them.
Full of expert insight and invaluable advice, Rebuild is about resetting the dial. It gives businesspeople pause to think about how to make money, plus practical tools to rebuild post-pandemic. And it speaks to anyone who votes with the pound in their pocket – all of us who, with social progress in mind, want to spend our money differently and better.
The Portas Review:
Mary’s continued advocacy for our High Streets led the British Government to commission her to lead an independent review.
The Portas Review outlined 28 recommendations to rescue failing High Streets. The Government, retailers and the public supported her plan, and Mary’s work has been a catalyst for community regeneration and the re-visioning of high streets across the country. The Government committed over £10 million to support the findings of her Review.
Mary was awarded a Doctorate of Letters in recognition of her contribution to advancing marketing and brand communication in the retail sector.
