After Dinner Speakers: Anita Roddick, Mud (Les Gray), Right Said Fred

Hugely talented, Anita Roddick is the dynamo behind the marketing phenomenon that is the Body Shop. Today there are some 1500 of those familiar green-fronted shops in 46 countries around the world. The first shop opened in 1976 in Brighton, Sussex, with a revolutionary mission to ‘dedicate our business to the pursuit of social and environmental change.’ After just 8 years in business, the Body Shop floated on the UK stock market in 1984. Spending about 50% of the year travelling the world campaigning, Roddick uses her company to make others socially and environmentally aware of the world around her. Her latest brainchild is the New Academy of Business, which majors in social accountability and responsibility, and she is a member of many organisations including Mother Jones’ Magazine Foundation for National Progress. She won Philanthropist of the Year in 1996. Roddick is a fascinating speaker on environmental awareness, and business/ commerce related issues.