Trust issues: Jacqueline Gold was an inspiration to everyone at the Retail Trust
It was with such incredible sadness that we at the Retail Trust learnt of the untimely passing of Jacqueline Gold CBE last month after a courageous battle with cancer.
So many people across the retail sector and beyond have already paid tribute to Jacqueline as a pioneer, friend and beacon for our industry. As a retailer and a businesswoman Jacqueline was remarkable, transforming Ann Summers into a household name and staple of the British high street across her long and successful career. But Jacqueline’s legacy extends far beyond this commercial success.
She was also a powerful force for good in retail and in business, working tirelessly to unlock the talents of the amazing number of brilliant women in British retail, and to hold our sector to account to do even more to empower those women.
Jacqueline was the driving force behind so much positive change for the better in how we view equality at work and the Retail Trust owes her a particular debt of gratitude for this. As an ambassador for our charity, she was not only a huge champion of the support we provide to those working in the industry but also a fantastic source of inspiration for everyone at the Retail Trust to do more around prioritising the agenda for diversity and inclusion, including influencing the support we now provide for people affected by domestic abuse and for those going through the menopause.
As a retail colleague and a friend, Jacqueline was a great inspiration to me personally. Her warmth and passion for a more inclusive world and her courage confronting inequality in the workplace have played a significant role in my own views and actions around the fight for a fairer world.
As we mourn Jacqueline’s loss, we offer our thoughts to the Gold family and the extended Ann Summers family who are, of course, feeling this so deeply.
Jacqueline faced the incredible challenges in her life with dignity and bravery and she will be very sadly missed but I know that her legacy will continue to empower women and inspire us all.
