Jacqueline Gold

Dear Jacqueline,

To have you as our leader for so many years was a blessing not one of us took for granted. We knew you were special, we knew we were lucky, and your loss is immeasurable. As a team, your Ann Summers family will forever be grateful for your guidance and for the example you set to us all, and we will honour your legacy in everything that we do. We miss you,

Team Ann Summers x

About Jacqueline Gold

Jacqueline Gold CBE was the Executive Chair of Ann Summers and was renowned for managing a business run by women, for women. Jacqueline was an activist for women in business, championed female entrepreneurs and, through sharing her own experiences, aimed to better the working environment for women. Her attitude towards female empowerment and gender equality inspired countless generations of women to pursue their dreams and celebrate their successes, not least her 13-year-old daughter, Scarlett.

From an internship at Ann Summers to Chief Executive Officer in less than 10 years, her determination and commitment to creating a unique retail offering led to the creation of a multi-channel retail chain, with retail stores, direct sales ambassadors and a growing online and third-party business. It was her vision and creativity that saw Ann Summers grow from an unknown brand to a British household name and staple of the British high street.

In recognition of Jacqueline’s significant achievements during her 40-year career, she was awarded a CBE in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to Entrepreneurship, Women in Business and Social Enterprise. It is this moment in her career that she described as her proudest.

Jacqueline’s accolades don’t end there, and her other honours include Retail Week’s Most Powerful Woman in Business, Barclays Bank’s Most Inspirational Businesswoman in the UK and numerous awards from publications including Cosmopolitan, Esquire and Good Housekeeping. In October 2012 Jacqueline was named most Inspirational Celebrity at the Inspirational Women Awards and in 2019 she was awarded Retail Week’s inaugural Retail Activist Award.

Jacqueline’s incredible career and achievements have not come without their challenges. From receiving a bullet in the post, taking the Government to court –and winning, and being arrested twice. Despite these, Jacqueline always made it her mission to empower women in the bedroom and subsequently the boardroom.

As well as professional challenges, Jacqueline also faced several personal challenges. Growing up, Jacqueline’s childhood was difficult and marred by abuse. Later in life, having undergone IVF treatment, she tragically lost her son, Alfie, when he was 8 months old to a rare brain condition. In 2011, Scarlett’s nanny admitted to trying to poison Jacqueline and was sent to prison.

In 2016, Jacqueline was first diagnosed with breast cancer and following a year of grueling treatment she went into remission. Unfortunately, it came back in 2019, and she battled it refusing to let it either define her or beat. She had just started her third round of chemotherapy during this difficult journey before she passed away. Jacqueline was passionate about sharing her journey with others in the hope it would help and inspire them. Jacqueline believed that through all of life’s adversities there were lessons to be learned and opportunities to come out of them.