
Anita Roddick
social entrepreneur
Dame Anita Roddick, DBE, was a champion for conscious capitalism long before it was in vogue.
Born a Brit, Anita was the pioneering entrepreneur known for founding The Body Shop, a cosmetics company that helped shape ethical consumerism.
She campaigned tirelessly for human + animal rights, environmental + social causes. And, transformed the cosmetics industry from the inside-out in the process {think David and Goliath}.
In 2003, Anita was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, becoming Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Her less formal title ~ the Queen of Green.
being a force for change | from women to whales, Anita supported numerous causes
her energy | outspoken and never still ~ traveled the world to source products, fight injustice and even free prisoners
business ethics | modeled values within constraints of business
generosity | her will channeled her millions to causes, not family members
1976 | opened first Body Shop in Brighton while her husband traveled in the U.S.
1984 | her company went public, broadening Anita's reach and influence
2006 | controversial sale of Body Shop to L'Oreal for $1.14 billion
from | to
proprietor of a bed-and-breakfast | international ethical cosmetics giant + "Queen of Green"
born on
October 23, 1942
born in
Littlehampton, England
birth name
Anita Lucia Perilli
also known as
Dame Anita
citizen of
the United Kingdom
daughter of
1 daughter | Gilda Perilli
1 son | Henry Perilli
sister of
2 sisters + 1 brother
grew up in
Littlehampton, Sussex, England
educated at
Maude Allen Secondary Modern School for Girls
Newton Park College of Education
~ Bath, England ~
married to
Gordon Roddick
mother of
2 daughters | Justine + Samantha
advocate for
environmental protection
banning animal testing
fair-trade and ethical sourcing
in her spare time
gardening
collecting contemporary sculpture
died on
September 10, 2007
~ of a brain hemorrhage linked to hepatitis C, which she contracted via a tainted blood transfusion required during her daughter's birth, but the condition went undiscovered for years ~
image credit
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Body and Soul | september 1991
"If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito."
The Body Shop trucks | january 1993
"I believe that communication is the most important tool of leadership, and passion is the most important element of communication. It is passion, above all, that persuades. For all its modern emphasis on communication, so much of business forgets this element."
Business As Unusual | january 2000
"We entrepreneurs are loners, vagabonds, troublemakers. Success is simply a matter of finding and surrounding ourselves with those open-minded and clever souls who can take our insanity and put it to good use."
Constructive Lunacy | november 2001
"The difference between the crazy person and the successful entrepreneur is, of course, that the latter can convince others to share the vision."
Constructive Lunacy | november 2001
"I am overwhelmed by the potential of the web to link like-minded people and move them to mass-action."
About Dame Anita Roddick | circa 2005
"Nobody talks of entrepreneurship as survival, but that's exactly what it is and what nurtures creative thinking. Running that first shop taught me business is not financial science, it's about trading: buying and selling. It's about creating a product or service so good that people will pay for it."
About Dame Anita Roddick | circa 2005
"I came out of the womb as an activist. I'm part of the 1960s; it's in my DNA."
'Body Shop' Founder: Fighting Radical Causes | june 2007
"When people get older they get more radical."
'Body Shop' Founder: Fighting Radical Causes | june 2007
"The idea of dying with loads of money doesn't appeal to me at all. I want to use the last years I have to get my hands dirty working for civil change."
'Body Shop' Founder: Fighting Radical Causes | june 2007
curated with care by Meghan Miller Brawley {july 2014}
Dame Anita Roddick plaque
In 1976, Anita opened her first iteration of The Body Shop in this retail space in Brighton, which now bears a historical plaque in her honor {in blue on the left!}.
Jez Nicholson | CC BY-SA 2.0
Angra 3/Greenpeace
As one of their many international campaigns, Anita and her company teamed up with Greenpeace to take on Exxon-Mobil as the "No. 1 Global Warming Villain."
Alex Carvalho | CC BY-SA 2.0