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United Kingdom Baroness Mone of Mayfair has built a career as an entrepreneur spanning various sectors, including lingerie, interiors, jewellery, property, and technology.
Co-founded in 1996 with her then-husband Michael Mone, this company was the initial foundation of her business ventures.
A lingerie brand launched in 1999 as part of MJM International. She stated she created it after an uncomfortable experience with a cleavage-enhancing bra.
Mone secured a deal in 1999 to sell her Ultimo bra in Selfridges department store, which she later described as a pivotal moment in her career.
In 2014, Mone sold 80% of her stake in Ultimo Brands International to MAS Holdings, a partnership that facilitated the transfer of business assets from MJM International.
Mone's company MJM partnered with retailers like Asda for modelling campaigns.
Mone's company MJM partnered with retailers like Debenhams for modelling campaigns.
She has a jewellery collection that is sold through QVC.
Partnership with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak for "game-changing" EQUI, described as a cryptocurrency venture aimed at investing in startups.
A company linked to Mone and her husband, Doug Barrowman, that secured government contracts for supplying PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company was ordered to repay £122 million plus interest for breaching a contract to supply surgical gowns.
Michelle Georgina Allan, known as Baroness Mone of Mayfair, was born on October 8, 1971, in Glasgow, Scotland. She left school at 15 without qualifications. Her career began in marketing at Labatt brewing company, where she rose to head of marketing in Scotland within two years. In 1996, she co-founded MJM International with her then-husband, Michael Mone. Three years later, in August 1999, she launched the Ultimo lingerie brand at Selfridges department store in London. Her concept for a comfortable, cleavage-enhancing bra was developed after experiencing an uncomfortable product, leading her to secure a European license for a new silicone material. The Ultimo brand expanded to include backless dresses and shapewear, contributing to MJM International’s growth. In 2014, she sold 80% of her stake in Ultimo Brands International to MAS Holdings, and MJM International was subsequently dissolved.
Baroness Mone expanded her business interests beyond lingerie, venturing into naturopathic weight-loss pills with TrimSecrets in 2006, where MJM International held a 50% share. She also launched a fake tan product through Ultimo Beauty, later rebranding as Ubeauty Global, which she sold in 2017. In 2017, she and her husband, Doug Barrowman, launched a £250 million residential development in Dubai, claiming it would be the first priced in Bitcoin. The following year, they launched the cryptocurrency Equi through Equi Capital, aiming to invest in startup companies. In 2015, Michelle Mone was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her “services to the lingerie industry” and was made a life peer as Baroness Mone of Mayfair.
Her public profile involved media appearances on BBC Two’s “Trouble at the Top: Boom or Bust” (2002), BBC One’s “Mind Your Own Business” (2005), and “The Apprentice: You’re Fired!” (2007-2009). Politically, she served as the government’s “entrepreneurship tsar” under Prime Minister David Cameron in 2015. However, she has faced scrutiny, particularly regarding her role in PPE Medpro during the COVID-19 pandemic. A High Court judgment in October 2025 ruled that PPE Medpro breached a contract to supply surgical gowns, ordering the company to repay £122 million plus interest to the UK government. The National Crime Agency is currently investigating PPE Medpro.
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