Laura Tenison is an award-winning entrepreneur, best known for founding the internationally renowned parent and baby brand, JoJo Maman Bébé. Following the sale of the business to Next PLC, Laura founded the wellness retreat, Wonderful Escapes. With extensive experience across business, Laura inspires audiences with lessons on building a purpose-driven business through innovation, resilience and ethical leadership. Ideal for conferences, summits and panel discussions, Laura's inspiring career and expertise make her a valuable addition to any event!
Laura first founded JoJo in 1993 with just £50,000 of investment and two members of staff, and built the brand into the UK and Ireland's leading omni-channel parent and baby brand. Today the business has remained an industry leader, with retail and trade accounts across more than fifty countries. The brand was also an early advocate for diversity and inclusion, offering job opportunities to former asylum seekers, managing charities in Africa and supporting employees with Down's Syndrome. Under Laura's leadership, the business achieved Certified B Corporation status and put both people and the planet at the forefront of organisational culture.
Alongside her business ventures, Laura served as a Charity Trustee and lectured in multiple schools and universities across Europe and Nigeria. She also regularly delivers engaging talks to women’s groups and speaks at business conferences and networking events. Whether sharing insights on innovative thinking, environmental and ethical business practices, or entrepreneurial thinking, Laura ensures audiences leave with practical strategies that they can implement in their own lives.
Laura has also made several high-profile media appearances, including on the BBC’s 'Peter Jones Meets', 'Beat the Boss', 'The Apprentice', 'You’re Fired', as well as on Channel 4 News, BBC Breakfast, BBC2’s 'Working Lunch', BBC Radio 4, Sky News and Bloomberg TV. For her incredible work in business, she recived an MBE in 2005, and won multiple industry awards including being named Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year, Welsh Entrepreneur of the Year and Harpers and Queen Entrepreneur of the Year.
Laura Tenison is a highly sought-after speaker who delivers keynotes on a variety of topics, from entrepreneurship and start-up success to leadership and company culture. Having built a global brand from the ground up and successfully run an acclaimed wellness retreat, Laura draws on first-hand experience to share practical, evidence-led insights. To transform your business or organisation, secure Laura as a speaker via Champions Speakers!
Laura Tenison MBE's official speaking topics are listed below:
- Entrepreneurship & Start-Up Success
- Building & Scaling a Global Brand
- Female Leadership & Women in Business
- Purpose-Driven Business & B Corp
- Sustainability & Ethical Business Practices
- Innovation & Creative Thinking
- Leadership & Company Culture
- Retail, E-commerce & Omnichannel Growth
- Diversity, Inclusion & Social Impact
- Resilience, Growth & Business Transformation
Official Feedback From In-Person & Virtual Events:
"I was lucky enough to win a charity auction for a mentoring session with Laura. Laura was fantastic, asking the most astute questions and really drilling down to what mattered. She offered great advice and pertinent insights and I left our session feeling truly inspired and focussed. Above all, despite her meteoric success, she is a lovely, down to earth person with no airs and graces and is genuinely interested in helping other people's businesses succeed." - Suzanne Dibble, Founder and CEO, Legal Buddy
- 2010 - Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year
- 2005 - Received an MBE for services to business in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List and was one of the youngest recipients for business services at the time
- Honorary Fellowship of Cardiff University
- Won the Welsh Women Mean Business Lifetime Achievement Award
- Won the Businesswoman of the Year at the Women in Public Life Awards
- Honorary Doctor of Business, University of East London
- Won the Businesswoman of the Year at the Leading Wales Awards
- Named Innovator of the Year at the Every Woman in Retail Award
- Named Female Entrepreneur of the Year at Fast Growth Business
- Honorary Fellowship of the University of Wales
- Harpers & Queen Entrepreneur of the Year
- Welsh Entrepreneur of the Year
- Honorary Doctorate, Cardiff Met University
How to hire Laura Tenison MBE
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Laura Tenison MBE for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
