Retail 100: Meet five of UK’s retail’s most influential female leaders

Liz Evans, managing director, George at Asda (Strategists) 

Now more than two years into the role of managing director for George at Asda, Liz Evans is making great strides despite difficulties in the wider Asda business. 

In the past year, George at Asda has cemented its place as the biggest of the grocery fashion brands and the third-largest UK apparel brand overall by sales volume. Asda boss Mohsin Issa has credited George with bolstering sales for the overall group. For the first quarter ending March 32, 2024, George grew total revenues by 3% to £293m and like-for-likes by 3% as customers “responded to its investment in price, style and quality credentials”.

Evans says the mission of the business is “to deliver great quality and style at a brilliant price across our George clothing and homeware ranges”. With recent growth in revenue – supported by a new celebrity partnership with Stacey Solomon – the overall experience is resonating with consumers. 

Evans is also navigating the business’ sustainability focus. George found itself in the firing line, alongside Asos and Boohoo, in May last year with the retailer’s ‘green’ claims being scrutinised by the Competition and Markets Authority.

In March 2024, all three retailers signed a formal agreement to commit to better practice in this area, so expect the coming months to see Evans doubling down on how George talks about sustainability. 

Jess Hunt and Jenna Meek, co-founders, Refy (Disruptors)

Making their Retail 100 debut are Jenna Meek (pictured) and Jess Hunt, co-founders of fast-growing beauty brand Refy. Meek is also the founder of haircare brand Shrine and Hunt is an influencer with 1.8 million followers on Instagram alone – and, between them, they are shaking up the cosmetics industry. 

Despite only launching four years ago, the business is generating more than £24m in annual revenue. It is a profitable organisation with zero external investment, making it an incredible story. 

Under the tagline “simplifying beauty,” Meek and Hunt have helped Refy become a viral sensation on TikTok and Instagram with 2.5 million likes and almost 800,000 followers respectively – the modern hallmark of a successful breakthrough retail business. 

Refy secured a listing in Sephora in the US and Canada just six months after launch, and this wholesale partnership has helped the brand grow in prominence, supporting its core direct-to-consumer model. It has also been stocked in Selfridges since 2021. 

Meek and Hunt’s influence remains strong, with the former revealing at Retail Week Live that the duo had turned down a £15m expansion contract in the Middle East to focus on refining the business themselves. 

Demetra Pinsent, chief executive, Charlotte Tilbury Beauty (Experience Innovators) 

Demetra Pinsent joins the Retail 100 for the first time in 2024, replacing the brand’s eponymous founder in the list from last year. 

Pinsent’s appearance reflects her role as the mastermind and strategic lead of a brand that keeps going from strength to strength – and which parent company Puig credits for driving the positive sales momentum in makeup and skin categories for the group. 

The importance of Charlotte Tilbury to the portfolio – as well as the innovative experience-led retailing online and in store shaped by Pinsent – has intensified in 2024, as Puig looks to float on the Spanish stock exchanges. 

Pinsent and her team have continued to up the ante in customer experience. They are launching further ‘magic boxes’ – surprise curations of products that sell out quickly every time they go to market – and have been opening innovative pop-up shops and AI-enabled features. 

The business’ mobile app, which launched in June last year, delivers personalised beauty solutions, educational and inspirational resources, and incentives for new and existing customers. 

The app offers several AI-driven tools to enhance and streamline online shopping. One feature, for instance, enables customers to answer three questions and upload a selfie to make use of the brand’s AI-powered Pro Skin Analysis tool, which then offers a personalised skincare routine and expert advice in under 60 seconds. 

Hanushka Toni, founder and chief executive, Sellier (Sustainability Activists) 

Justifying Retail Week’s decision to make her one to watch in 2023, Hanushka Toni oversaw £20m in revenue last year through her company’s online resale platform for luxury goods. 

One of a growing cohort of sustainability activists in retail, Toni operates a Sellier store in the heart of Knightsbridge and has experimented with pop-up shops, including at department store Flannels. 

She has the ear of government, too, speaking to policymakers at 10 Downing Street in March about what is required to boost British fashion and drive growth in a more circular retailing model. 

Looking ahead, Toni is hiring new operations staff for Sellier’s London store and sales professionals to help grow the brand further in the coming years. Social commerce is also a focus and, in April, Sellier was among the first British brands to be part of the new pre-loved category on TikTok Shop. 

With celebrity fans such as singer Rita Ora, the business and Toni have some influential backing that bodes well for their future endeavours to spread the sustainable luxury shopping message.