Laura Tenison
Founder of JoJo Maman Bébé, entrepreneur and ethical business leader
Laura Tenison MBE founded JoJo Maman Bébé, the UK’s leading parent and baby brand, growing it from a £50,000 start-up in 1993 to a £71M turnover omni-channel business with nearly 1,000 employees. Under her leadership, JoJo became a digital-first brand with a strong portfolio of experiential stores across the UK, Ireland, and the US, and achieved Certified B Corporation status for its pioneering ethical and environmental practices.
In 2022, Laura orchestrated the sale of JoJo to NEXT Plc and Davidson Kempner PE, ensuring it remained an independent brand with its board intact. Her initiatives at JoJo included championing diversity in modelling, recycling and upcycling materials, profit-sharing, prison employment programmes, and supporting refugees and people with Down’s Syndrome.
Prior to JoJo, Laura founded and sold a successful property agency in Brittany and earlier ran a made-to-measure fashion business while travelling extensively to build a supply chain.
Beyond business, Laura has served as a charity trustee, guest lectured globally on innovation and ethical entrepreneurship, and appeared on BBC, Channel 4, Sky News, and Bloomberg TV.
Today, Laura splits her time between London and her historic farm, Wern-Y-Cwm, in the Black Mountains, home to Wonderful Escapes—a luxurious creative, wellness, and retreat centre offering guests a nature-rich escape focused on sustainability, collaboration, and personal rejuvenation.
