"I Turned Down Victoria Beckham, It Was One Of My Biggest Fails": Millie Kendall OBE

Millie Kendall OBE has spent more than 30 years shaping the British beauty industry. She launched Shu Uemura and Aveda in the UK, co-founded the iconic makeup brand Ruby & Millie with Ruby Hammer, and now leads the British Beauty Council as its founding CEO. In this episode of Ladies Who Launch, she shares the wisdom, mistakes and reinventions behind a career that has spanned the early days of modern beauty brands. Millie tells Rochelle why she helped launch brands that sold for hundreds of millions without ever owning a stake, why she turned down Victoria Beckham, how Boots backed Ruby & Millie with £7 million to launch the brand, and what it really felt like to walk away from a business with her name on it. In this episode, we cover: Why Millie says it's "invention, not reinvention" Launching Shu Uemura in London and turning a loss into a profit in three months The lesson of not taking equity in the brands she helped build Building Ruby & Millie, from Harvey Nichols and Selfridges to Boots The Victoria Beckham lipstick she turned down Why she and Ruby chose to walk away from Ruby & Millie Founding the British Beauty Council and raising the reputation of the beauty industry Millie's advice on pivoting careers, and her money habits If you're building a brand, thinking about your next career move, or want an honest look at how the beauty industry grew, this one is for you. We Are Ladies Who Launch! CHAPTERS 00:00 Millie Kendall Intro 00:36 AD Starling Business 01:08 Reinvention Versus Invention 05:43 Growing Up In Salons 06:32 Shu Uemura Origin Story 10:34 Launching A PR Agency in Beauty 17:13 Meeting Ruby Millie 20:18 £7M Boots Deal And Launch 24:58 Inclusivity And Range Battles 34:30 Control Value Lessons 37:23 Leaving At Peak Growth 43:40 Building British Beauty Council 48:56 Industry Impact In Numbers 52:19 Pivot Advice For Change 57:41 Rocket Round: Money Habits 01:01:30 Financial Mistakes & Lessons 01:03:04 Launch Advice 🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss a launch. #AD Powered by @starlingbank Access Starling Bank here: https://bit.ly/44sEaMf FOLLOW MILLIE Instagram:   / milliekendall   FOLLOW US Instagram: www.instagram.com/weareladieswholaunch/ TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@weareladieswholaunch YouTube:    / @weareladieswholaunch   #LadiesWhoLaunch #MillieKendall #RubyAndMillie #BritishBeautyCouncil #BeautyIndustry #FemaleFounders #BeautyBusiness #RochelleHumes