Mary Portas
| Mary Portas | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Mary M. Newton 28 May 1960 Watford, Hertfordshire, England |
| Citizenship | British |
| Education | Holy Rood Junior School Watford, St Joan of Arc Convent, Rickmansworth Hertfordshire |
| Alma mater | Watford School of Art |
| Occupation | Retail consultant |
| Known for | Television presenter, author |
| Spouse(s) |
Graham Portas (m. 1990; div. 2003) Melanie Rickey (m. 2014) |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | Official website |
Mary Portas (née Newton; born 28 May 1960) is an English retail consultant and broadcaster, known for her retail- and business-related television shows, and her appointment by David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, to lead a review into the future of Britain's high streets.
Portas was born into a large Irish family in a small end-of-terrace in Windsor Road in north Watford. She went to Holy Rood Catholic Junior School (in north Watford) and then St Joan of Arc Catholic School in Rickmansworth. Her mother died of meningitis when Portas was aged 16, and her father, a sales director of Brooke Bond, the tea manufacturer, died of a heart attack two years later forcing Portas, aged 18, to turn down a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in order to look after her younger brother.
Portas started her career in retail with a Saturday job in John Lewis. She then had a part-time, and later a full-time, job with Harrods where she was responsible for window displays for about three years, before joining Topshop as display manager. While in this job, she was spotted by Burton Group chairman Sir Ralph Halpern.
Her next role brought Portas her first taste of fame and public acclaim, as creative director of Harvey Nichols. Portas is credited with turning Harvey Nichols into a leading modern fashion brand. She created the groundbreaking Harvey Nichols window displays that became part of the guided tours of London — one of her most famous displays was "Autumn Intrusion" - a commission by artist Thomas Heatherwick that won a D&AD Gold award in 1997. She then persuaded the store's owners to use younger designers, and gained publicity in the BBC's Absolutely Fabulous series in the 1990s, after promising writer and star of the show Jennifer Saunders the run of the store for research in return for Saunders namechecking the business. By the age of 30, Portas was a member of the company's board.
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Wikipedia