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Millie Kendall MBE, CEO of The British Beauty Council
“I really like helping people and I don’t think I would have gotten through COVID myself if it wasn’t for the fact that I was doing a job that was supporting other people,” are Millie Kendall’s first words to WOTC.
She created a voice through The British Beauty Council, for the industry worth a staggering 28 billion pounds and disrupted that very same industry back in 1998, with the inception of Ruby and Millie; the brand she founded with fellow covergirl Ruby Hammer MBE which opened doors for women just like herself to enter.
Kendall believes that though we are in uncertain times, there is a certainty that comes with hair and beauty. “Your hair is always going to grow, your nails is always going to grow. You will always need something to be cut. I do feel it will come back (referring to the industry). Theres an ability for us to bounce back because there’s an element of certainty. We’ve made some changes, we’re a bit more resilient.”
Kendall’s latest campaign #ChopTheVAT is just one of the ways she has given thousands of women a voice this year. The campaign launched in October, with the aim of cutting the usual 20% VAT to 5% for hair salons. “I think that their margins are so tiny already and that they’re struggling. We’re going to lose 40 percent of our sector if we’re not careful.” Through Kendall’s leadership, The British Beauty Council have also raised half a million pounds for Caroline Hirons’ hair and beauty charity Beauty Backed. She has had a stronger focus on building her team, balancing the board and ensuring that they are representing people well. Additionally, the British Beauty Council has launched the Courage to Change which is their report on sustainability, following their Value of Beauty report the previous year.
Despite the upheaval of the global pandemic, Kendall is pleased that as an organisation, the British Beauty Council were able to stick to their 2020 roadmap.
“In 2021, #IPLEDGE to build a stronger relationship with the government overall in terms of representation of the hair and beauty industry. Most importantly a strong relationship with Her Majesty’s Treasury. #IPLEDGE to ensure that British brands and retailers are recognised as world leaders on a global stage. #IPLEDGE to guide our sector towards having the courage to change and building products and businesses in the future that are net positive, and overall, #IPLEDGE to being a better mother, friend, colleague, sister because the world needs to be better right now.