“To be a designer today is to be an entrepreneur. Whether you're a two-man operation in Shoreditch or a 3,000-person, vertically integrated brand, you need to have the wherewithal to run your business through investment, considering everything from start-up funds to your exit plan or what it takes to go public.”

American and British fashion entrepreneur and former journalist

Dame Natalie Sara Massenet is an American and British fashion entrepreneur and former journalist. She founded the designer fashion retailer Net-a-Porter and became a prominent figure in contemporary fashion. From 2013 to 2017, she served as chairman of the British Fashion Council. In 2018, she co-founded Imaginary Ventures with Nick Brown and took on the role of non-executive co-chairman at Farfetch.