Industry mourns loss of Ann Summers ‘trailblazer’ Jacqueline Gold

Gold died on Thursday evening, after a “courageous” seven-year battle with stage four breast cancer, her sister Vanessa Gold, who is the current CEO of the business, confirmed today.

Vanessa described Jaqueline as being “a trailblazer, a visionary, and the most incredible woman.”

Born on 16 July 1960 in Bromley, Kent, Gold joined the Ann Summers business as a work experience wages clerk when she was just 19, after her father David Gold, and his brother Ralph Gold, bought it from businessman Michael Caborn-Waterfield, in 1971.

David Gold, who was also a co-owner of West Ham Football Club, died in January.

Gold held the role of CEO between 1993 and 2022. In February 2022, she moved to the executive chair role, with sister Vanessa taking on the CEO position. Maria Hollins was promoted to managing director at the business, from being joint managing director with Vanessa since 2019.

Gold was awarded a CBE in 2016 for services to Entrepreneurship, Women in Business and Social Enterprise. She pioneered the famous Ann Summers parties in 1981 and empowered women to take control of their sexualities, and enabled them to have financial independence. There are still 13,000 party ambassadors to this day.

Gold supported female entrepreneurs and small business owners by establishing the Championing Working Women organisation, where female business owners received mentoring and support from Gold and the Ann Summers team.

She supported charities including Retail Trust, The Children’s Trust School and Breast Cancer Now.

CEO of Breast Cancer Now, Baroness Delyth Morgan, paid tribute to Gold: "We're devastated to hear of the death of Jacqueline Gold CBE to secondary breast cancer. We send our love and support to her friends, family and anyone affected by the news today. Jacqueline was a fierce supporter of Breast Cancer Now and campaigner for women with breast cancer.

"Jacqueline and Ann Summers have both raised awareness of breast cancer, broken down stigmas and taboos associated with the disease and fundraised over £250,000 for Breast Cancer Now’s vital research and support services."

Chris Brook-Carter, CEO of the Retail Trust praised Gold's ambition to promote equality within the industry: "It’s with great sadness that today we heard of the passing of Jacqueline Gold CBE, pioneer, friend and beacon for the retail industry, after a courageous battle with cancer.

“Jacqueline was massively supportive of our work at the Retail Trust and inspired us all to do more around driving the agenda for diversity and inclusion, supporting those affected by domestic abuse and empowering women.

“Over many years, she was also a great inspiration personally – her warmth, passion for a more inclusive world and courage confronting inequality in the workplace played a significant role in my own views and actions around the fight for a fairer world.

“She set the bar and was a real force for good for retail. Jacqueline faced the incredible challenges in her life with dignity and bravery and she’ll continue to inspire us all. She will be very sadly missed. We are all thinking of the Gold family and the extended Ann Summers family who’ll feel her loss so deeply. We send our deepest sympathies.”

Ann Summers celebrated its 50^th anniversary last year, with Covid hindering its original anniversary in 2021. Gold told Drapers at the time, that one of the biggest impacts the business has made is the “undoubtable impact of empowerment for women in the bedroom.” Gold explained that Ann Summers launched at a time when “women were too embarrassed to go in and buy what they wanted for themselves,” and men were buying products they thought women wanted.

She said Ann Summers then gave women confidence, and that the business “created a movement as we were growing so fast, whereby women found their voice, took back control and knew what they wanted, and that empowerment evolved from the bedroom right the way into the workplace.”

Founder of lingerie brand Boux Avenue, Theo Paphitis paid tribute to Gold: “So sorry to hear of the passing of Jacqueline Gold. She was a lovely lady and it was an honour to have known her. My thoughts are with her family and many friends today #RIPJacqueline”

Entrepreneur and Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden described Gold as: "A visionary and trailblazer for women in business and our thoughts are with her family, friends colleagues and loved ones."

Steve Hudson, owner and founder, of Curvy Kate said called Gold “an incredible businesswoman, visionary and pioneer, who transformed Ann Summers into a household name, and had a huge impact on the industry." He added: "Jacqueline was an amazing role model and supporter for all women in business.”

Founder and CEO of British lingerie, swimwear and nightwear brand Pour Moi, Michael Thomson, also emphasised Gold's impact as a woman in the industry. "We have lost a superstar both to the world of lingerie but also to women's rights," he said. "She paved the way using both her charm and determination to break down barriers that should never have been there in the first place. My thoughts are with her family and close knit company."

Founder of etailer Not On The High Street, Holly Tucker described Gold as "one of my true inspirations as a female businesswoman. Her strength, how she held herself through all that she's been through and always seemed to put everyone still first… Today a light was turned out for all of us women.”

Leanne Cahill, CEO of lingerie retailer Bravissimo told Drapers that: "Jacqueline was an inspiring role model for the empowerment of women in business and in all walks of life."

Michele Poynter, owner of Drapers Awards winning lingerie independent Mish, in Wadebridge, Cornwall, said: “To me, Jacqueline was one of the women I really looked up to, she pushed boundaries both for women and the industry as a whole. She had an incredible vision and showed what could be achieved with tenacity, and never accepting no for an answer. Her passing is a great loss for the industry, and my thoughts are with her family at this very sad time.”

Lingerie brand Nudea's co-founder and CEO, Priya Downes, also described Gold as a "true visionary ahead, of her time".

Downes added: "She empowered women to embrace their sexuality and was the original pioneer of lingerie for women to feel great about themselves (not for the male gaze). It’s a big loss for the industry to lose such an inspirational trailblazer so young."

Read The Drapers Interview with Gold, Vanessa Gold and Hollins here.