What Was Jacqueline Gold's Net Worth?
Jacqueline Gold was an English businesswoman and author who had a net worth of $860 million at the time of her death in 2023. Jacqueline Gold was best known for serving as the executive chair of the Gold Group International companies Ann Summers and Knickerbox, which are managed by women, for women. At the time she joined her father's company, Ann Summers, the working atmosphere was completely different at the company since it was run by men, or as Gold herself said, "It was all men, it was the sex industry as we all perceive it to be." As she acquired more and more information about Ann Summers of the 1970s, she recognized the potential to switch the focus of the business by turning it into a biz and brand that would be focused on women, allowing them to shop for lingerie and sex toys in a safe and female-friendly environment. In 1987, she took the helm of the company as Chief Executive and turned it into a massively successful business. In 2018, the company reported a revenue of £109.96 million.
Jacqueline published the books "Good Vibrations: The True Story of Ann Summers" (1995) and "A Woman's Courage: The Inspirational Story of the Woman Behind Ann Summers" (2007), and she was a columnist for "New Business," "Women Mean Business," "Retail Week," and "Kent Business." In 2016, she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for "services to entrepreneurship, women in business and social enterprise." In 2019, Gold was said to be Great Britain's 16th-richest woman. Sadly, Jacqueline died of breast cancer on March 16, 2023, at the age of 62.
Early Life
Jacqueline Gold was born on July 16, 1960 in Beckenham, Bromley, Greater London, England. Her parents, Beryl Hunt and David Gold, divorced in 1972 after David discovered Beryl cheating on him with his closest friend. Jacqueline's younger sister, Vanessa, has served as the managing director of both Ann Summers and Knickerbox Ltd. David and his brother, Ralph, owned Gold Star Publications, which was known for distributing pornographic magazines. In 1971, they purchased the sex shop Ann Summers and turned it into a lingerie boutique and high street brand. In 2007, Gold appeared on the radio program "The House I Grew Up In" and "reveal[ed] a dark story of abuse and depression." In her 2007 book "A Woman's Courage: The Inspirational Story of the Woman Behind Ann Summers," Jacqueline wrote about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepfather.
Career
After finishing school, Gold took a job with the home accessories company Royal Doulton, but she wasn't interested in management, so she asked her father for extra work experience. He hired her to work at the Ann Summers chain when she was 19 years old, paying her £45 per week. Jacqueline didn't like the atmosphere at the company, which was run by men, but after being invited to a Tupperware party, she came up with the idea for the Ann Summers Party Plan to sell sex toys and lingerie to women in the privacy of their own homes. The Ann Summers Party Plan launched in 1981 and is still going strong; as of this writing, the company employs more than 7,500 Party Organisers. In 1987, Gold became the CEO of Ann Summers, and the company eventually expanded to over 130 high street shops. In 2000, the company bought the underwear brand Knickerbox. They opened five stores and sold Knickerbox items in all Ann Summers locations. In 2014, the company announced its intention to sell Knickerbox.
Jacqueline published her first book, "Good Vibrations," in 1995, followed by "A Woman's Courage: The Inspirational Story of the Woman Behind Ann Summers" in 2007. A former employee sued her for libel after the release of "A Woman's Courage," and the book was republished with three fewer pages and the new title of "Please Let It Stop: The True Story of My Abused Childhood" the following year. In 2008, Gold competed on a celebrity edition of the British reality series "The Apprentice." Her team won after raising more than £400,000 in ticket and merchandise sales during the competition's big event.
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Personal Life
Jacqueline married Tony D'Silva, a lingerie manufacturer, in 1980. They divorced after a decade of marriage. In 2002, she met City money broker Dan Cunningham, and they married on May 15, 2010. Gold was 17 years older than Cunningham, and they welcomed twins Scarlett and Alfie in 2009. Sadly, Alfie died of a rare brain condition when he was just 8 months old. In 2007, Jacqueline and her sister, Vanessa, participated in the MoonWalk event for the charity Walk the Walk, which is dedicated to fighting breast cancer. In late 2010, Allison Cox, a nanny Gold had hired to care for Scarlett, was charged with "three counts of administering poison with intent to annoy" after reportedly attempting to get the family's personal chef in trouble by lacing soup with screenwash.
Death
On March 16, 2023, Gold passed away from breast cancer at the age of 62. She had been undergoing treatment for the disease for seven years, and her husband, daughter, sister, and brother-in-law were by her side when she died. Jacqueline's sister, Vanessa, said of her death, "She was a trailblazer, a visionary, and the most incredible woman, all of which makes this news that much harder to bear."
Recognition
In 2005, Jacqueline was featured in "Debrett's People of Today," which included biographical details about notable individuals in British society. In 2007, "Retail Week" ranked Gold #2 on its "Most Powerful Woman in Retail" list, and she was voted the Most Inspirational Businesswoman in the UK in a handbag.com and Barclays Bank survey. Several publications deemed her one of Britain's Most Powerful Women, including "Good Housekeeping" and "Cosmopolitan."
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