Anita Roddick, CEO and founder of The Body Shop natural beauty cosmetics, was an environmental activist and an advocate for women and human rights issues.
She started her entrepreneurial engagement with her husband when opening their first restaurant and then hotel. However, Gordon Roddick soon came to America and Anita was left to ensure provision for her and her two daughters. In 1976, she created The Body Shop.
Her extensive travels and witnessing her mother's frugality during World War II lead to the current Body Shop standards: reusable containers, recyclable materials, and fair retail prices. Anita did not stop with the company whose mission statement proclaimed the "pursuit of social and environmental change," instead she continued her journey by founding Anita Roddick publications. She created a communication center for activism and eventually wrote an autobiography of her life's journey and success.
A year before Anita's passing, The Body Shop was happily purchased by L'Oréal. The company remains a thriving example of environmental preservation and prides its self on its cruelty-free cosmetics.
Anita is an example of persevering outside of one's trained field of knowledge (she originally attended school to become a teacher), and utilizing one's own morals and convictions within the development of a company in order to create a honorable and valued product for many generations.
Information regarding Anita found: http://www.thebodyshop.com/services/aboutus_anita-roddick.aspx
“Whatever you do, be different – that was the advice my mother gave me, and I can’t think of better advice for an entrepreneur. If you’re different, you will stand out.”
– Anita Roddick
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