Spotlight on The Gloss

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re shining light on a handful of female-led suppliers we’re lucky enough to work with. Keep on reading and get to know The Gloss Knightbridge's Director Madeleine.

With a prime location in London's Knightsbridge, The Gloss is a luxury health and wellness clinic, dedicated to serving as a go-to haven for women with every skin type and tone. The women-led clinic accommodates various facilities including state-of-the-art treatment rooms and a wide array of treatments from rejuvenating facials to specialist and non-invasive surgical procedures. Adopting a minimalistic design throughout the space, The Gloss is akin to a luxury 5* hotel or private members club.

Can you tell us a little bit about The Gloss?

The Gloss is a luxury health and wellness clinic right in the heart of Knightsbridge, next door to Harrods and adjacent to Chanel. We specialise in laser treatments, injectables, skin care and body treatment.

How long has The Gloss been running?

We opened in July, so we are eight months in and going very strong.

Can you give us a sense of a typical day for you at work?

I lead a team of 13 women – doctors, aestheticians, nurses and a reception of very high profile clients, some I can’t even name. In our location, we deal with some of your favourite Hollywood stars. Day-to-day, it gets very intense and literally anything can happen.

Can you tell us about your journey so far and how you’ve got to this point in your career?

I’m from Nottingham and here’s a little bit about my background. A pivotal moment in my life was that when I was 17, I got into a domestically violent relationship with a guy that was very much older than me. It ended up with me in hospital multiple times. This really affected me as a young woman and forced me to completely change the course of my life. I found a mentor when I was 19 and I moved to London and ended up moving in with my mentor. Before coming to London, I was in the hair and beauty industry and as soon as I moved to London, I switched my interest and pursued finance. I was trading Blockchain Cryptocurrency and then the opportunity came to open a clinic in Knightsbridge. This enabled me to combine my experiences of my background in beauty and my now experience that I have in finance to completely build something on a bigger scale.

Was there anyone who inspired you along the way?

Oh yes, 100%. I would say my mentor - the help that she gave me is what really inspires me to help others in the way that I was helped. One of the key things that we actually do at The Gloss is that we stock start-up beauty brands that may struggle to actually get their brands into the shelves of commercial stores.

If you could have afternoon tea with another inspirational woman (alive or dead), who would it be?

I would say Kris Jenner – I think she is an absolute beast. Not only has she built strong businesses, but she’s actually built five absolute power players, obviously the Kardashian sisters. And she’s just created an epic empire. That’s similar to the structure I have with my mentor and what I’m trying to do with the Gloss in building the women we work with.

Is there anything you wish you’d known earlier on in your career?

Definitely. I think not so much career but in life, I wish I was able to get a mentor when I was in school. I wish schools provided mentorship. Maybe if I had a mentor when I was 14, I wouldn’t have got into the friendships/relationships that I ended up in.

What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders in business?

I would say get a mentor! Get one first and don’t be afraid to ask for help.