Mary Portas

Portas’ career in retail started on the shop floor, rising through the ranks of John Lewis, Harrods and the Burton Group before being appointed Creative Director at Harvey Nichols.

Now, as Founder and Creative Director at London’s most respected retail branding and communications agency, Portas, Mary is recognised throughout the trade as the “Queen of Shops” and has turned round the fortunes of some of the biggest names in retail across the globe. They have over 30 years’ experience (employing 30 odd marketing and advertising professionals) and Mary still runs the show, picking the right people and making sure they do the right things in the right way.

Under Mary’s guidance, her agency has created category challenging campaigns for a wide range of brands on the high street including Clarks, Louis Vuitton, Oasis, Swarovski, Miss Selfridge, and Patek Philippe. Her agency also looks at trends in consumer behaviour, helping companies map their future.

Now renowned as a national spokesperson for the retail and fashion industry, Mary has starred in several series of her popular BBC television series Mary Queen of Shops as well as appearing regularly on the Today programme and Panorama. Having worked on many of her own shows on shopping trends, the manufacturing industry and the high street, Mary has become a TV authority. Her books Shopping Habits and Tricks of the Trade have been published internationally and translated across the globe. Mary is also in the process of writing a book on diversity and women in the workplace – a topic she is very passionate about.

In demand as a keynote speaker on fashion, consumerism and shopping behaviour, Mary is a brilliant addition to corporate events.