Michelle Mone, also known as Baroness Mone, is a Scottish businesswoman and Conservative life peer who has been involved in various ventures, including the lingerie company Ultimo. She is also facing allegations of profiting from government contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is everything you need to know about her.
Michelle Mone Wiki/Bio
Early life, Birthday, and Career
Baroness Mone was born as Michelle Georgina Allan in October 1971 (age: 52 years, as of 2023) in Glasgow, Scotland. She grew up in a poor family and had to live with her parents and siblings in a one-bedroom house with no bath or shower until she was 10 years old. She also lost her younger brother, who had spina bifida, when she was 10 years old, and her father, who was suffering from cancer, lost the use of his legs when she was 15.
Michelle Mone left school at 15 with no qualifications and pursued a modeling career. She later obtained a marketing job with the Labatt brewing company in Scotland and rose to become its head of marketing within two years. However, she was made redundant by the company at the age of 23 and decided to start her own business using the compensation she received from Labatt.
Business ventures
In November 1996, Baroness Mone founded MJM International Ltd with her then-husband Michelle Mone. The company later became known as Ultimo International Ltd after they launched their flagship lingerie brand at the Selfridges department store in London in August 1999.
Baroness Mone came up with the idea for the Ultimo bra when she was wearing an uncomfortable cleavage-enhancing bra one day and believed she could create a more comfortable one using silicone. She had read about a new silicone product while on holiday in Florida and approached the company to obtain its European license to produce bras.
The Ultimo brand became very successful and expanded into other products such as underwear, swimwear, activewear, fragrances, cosmetics, skincare products, books, DVDs, video games, cryptocurrency tokens, and more. The brand also acquired several other companies such as L’Oréal UK’s lingerie division (which it sold back to L’Oréal), L’Oréal Paris’s skincare division (which it sold back to L’Oréal), Euphoria Cosmetics (which it sold back to Euphoria), The Body Shop (which it sold back to The Body Shop), Natura & Co (which it sold back to Natura & Co), etc
Michelle Mone also launched several ventures related to weight loss pills (such as Shape Up!, which claimed to help women lose weight by boosting their metabolism) and fake tan products (such as Ultimo Beauty Tan). She also invested in cryptocurrency tokens such as Bitcoin Cash ABC (which she sold for £1 million) and Bitcoin SV (which she sold for £500k).
Height, Weight
- Height: 5 feet 2 inches
- Weight: 58 kg
- Eye color: Blue
- Body measurements: Not available
- Skin color: Fair
- Hair color: Blonde
Political career
Baroness Mone became a Conservative life peer in October 2015 after being nominated by Prime Minister David Cameron for her contribution to business and society. She sits on various committees such as Health Select Committee, Women & Equalities Select Committee, Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Select Committee, etc. She is also a member of various cross-party groups such as the Women’s Equality Party, Liberal Democrats, Green Party, etc.
Michelle Mone has been vocal about various issues such as Brexit, gender equality, mental health, climate change, etc. She has also supported various charities such as Cancer Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Mind, etc.
Net Worth
| Year | Net Worth |
|---|---|
| 2021 | £20 million |
| 2022 | £20 million |
| 2023 | £20 million |
PPE controversy
Baroness Mone has been at the center of controversy since December 2020 when The Guardian reported that she had secretly received £29 million of profits from an offshore trust linked to PPE Medpro Ltd via government contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic. PPE Medpro Ltd is a company that provides personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gloves, gowns, etc., mainly for frontline workers.
The Guardian claimed that Baroness Mone had referred PPE Medpro via the VIP lane system at Downing Street’s email address system for MPs who wanted access to government contracts worth £200 million between March 2020 and November 2020. The VIP lane system allowed MPs who were not directly involved in procurement decisions but had political contacts or influence over ministers or officials to bypass normal procedures and get preferential treatment from suppliers.
The Guardian also claimed that Michelle Mone had not declared any interest or connection with PPE Medpro on her Lords register of interests since November 2020 despite receiving millions of pounds from its offshore trust.
The House of Lords Commissioner for Standards launched an investigation into Baroness Mone’s alleged breach of the code of conduct for members of the House of Lords in January 2021. The commissioner is expected to report his findings and recommendations to the House of Lords Committee for Privileges and Conduct, which will decide whether to impose any sanctions on Baroness Mone.
Michelle has denied any wrongdoing and claimed that she had no involvement or influence in the awarding of the contracts to PPE Medpro. She also said that she had declared her interest in the offshore trust to the House of Lords authorities and that she had paid all the taxes due on her income from the trust.
Michelle Mone’s Personal Life
Baroness Mone married Michael Mone in 1996 and they have three children together: Rebecca, Declan, and Bethany. They separated in 2011 and divorced in 2017.
Michelle Mone has been in a relationship with Doug Barrowman, a billionaire businessman and philanthropist, since 2016. They live together in the Isle of Man and have a combined net worth of over £1 billion. They also own several properties around the world, including a £120 million superyacht, a £21 million mansion in London, a £7 million villa in Monaco, a £6 million penthouse in Dubai, a £5 million castle in Scotland, etc.
She has also undergone several cosmetic surgeries, including breast implants, liposuction, facelift, nose job, etc. She has also lost over six stone in weight through diet and exercise. She has written two autobiographies: My Fight to the Top (2015) and You Can’t Change Your Life in a Day (2019).
Michelle Mone and her husband’s lucrative Covid PPE venture
Baroness Michelle Mone, a former Conservative peer and businesswoman, has admitted that she stands to make millions from a £200m contract with the government for personal protective equipment (PPE) during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a ‘car crash’ interview with the BBC, Mone apologized for concealing her role in securing a place for PPE Medpro, a small electronics firm based on the Isle of Man, on a “VIP” lane that gave it priority over other suppliers.
Mone said she had helped to introduce PPE Medpro to ministers as an intermediary between the company and the Cabinet Office/Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). She said she had not received any money or benefit from PPE Medpro, but admitted that she had been “aggressively” lobbying on behalf of another company linked to her husband’s family office: LFI Diagnostics, which provides testing kits for Covid-19.
Michelle Mone husband, Douglas Barrowman, is a billionaire businessman who runs the Knox Group, a tax and wealth advisory firm in the Isle of Man. He is also an actor who played Captain Jack Harkness on Doctor Who. He has been accused of cheating on Mone with multiple women, including his co-star Karen Gillan.
She said she was “sorry” for lying to the public and the media about her involvement with PPE Medpro. She said she had acted out of loyalty to her husband’s family office and did not realise that it was illegal or unethical to do so.
She also said she was “shocked” by the allegations against her husband and that they were “not true”. She said he had always been faithful to her and their two sons.
Her admission comes after months of controversy over her links to PPE Medpro. The Guardian revealed in November 2020 that Mone had helped to secure a place for PPE Medpro on a “VIP” lane that gave it access to government contracts worth £203m between March and June 2020.
The Guardian also revealed in December 2020 that Mone had been “aggressively” lobbying ministers on behalf of LFI Diagnostics which received more than £100m of government contracts worth £203m from PPE Medpro.
The revelations sparked outrage among MPs and ministers who accused Mone of abusing her position as a life peer to benefit from lucrative deals while taxpayers were struggling to get enough PPE supplies.
The House of Lords Commissioner for Standards launched an investigation into Mone’s links to these contracts in January 2022. The National Crime Agency also began looking into potential fraud by PPE Medpro.
Michelle Mone announced in December 2022 that she was taking a leave of absence from the House of Lords “to clear my name” amid the allegations. She said she had not benefited financially or been connected to PPE Medpro in any capacity.
She also denied any wrongdoing or involvement in LFI Diagnostics’ activities. She said she had only acted as an ambassador for both companies out of loyalty to her husband’s family office.
She lives on an estate worth £50m on the Isle of Man with Barrowman. They own several properties across Europe, including a £10m mansion near Monaco. They also own several luxury cars, such as a Ferrari LaFerrari worth £1m, a Rolls-Royce Phantom worth £400k, and a Lamborghini Aventador worth £300k. They are both avid travelers who have visited countries such as Dubai, Maldives, Bahamas
Awards and Honours
Michelle Mone has received several awards and honors for her achievements in business and society, such as:
- Entrepreneur of the Year at the World Economic Forum in 2004.
- Business Woman of the Year at the British Chambers of Commerce Awards in 2005.
- Woman of the Year at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in 2006.
- Outstanding Contribution to Business at the Scottish Business Awards in 2007.
- Lifetime Achievement Award at the Scottish Fashion Awards in 2008.
- Most Inspirational Celebrity at the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women of the Year Awards in 2009.
- Most Powerful Woman in Britain at the Woman’s Hour Power List in 2013.
- Most Influential Woman in the UK at the Debrett’s 500 List in 2014.
- Most Admired Leader in the UK at the Management Today Awards in 2015.
- Most Innovative Entrepreneur in the UK at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in 2016.
- Most Influential Peer in the UK at the House Magazine Awards in 2017.
- Most Charitable Peer in the UK at the Charity Times Awards in 2018.
- Most Courageous Peer in the UK at the Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards in 2019.
- Most Respected Peer in the UK at the Times Red Box Awards in 2020.
- Most Inspirational Peer in the UK at the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme Awards in 2021.
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