British Prime Minister Gordon Brown led tributes to Body Shop founder Anita Roddick on Tuesday, describing her as a "true pioneer" who inspired millions to take an ethical approach to business.
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown led tributes to Body Shop founder Anita Roddick on Tuesday, describing her as a "true pioneer" who inspired millions to take an ethical approach to business.
Roddick suffered a brain hemorrhage and died in hospital in Chichester, West Sussex, on Monday with her family at her bedside. She was 64.
"As one of this country's most successful businesswomen, she was an inspiration to women throughout the country striving to set up and grow their own companies," Brown said. "She campaigned for green issues for many years before it became fashionable to do so."
Friends of the Earth Director Tony Juniper described her as a leading light of the green movement. Newspaper headlines paid tribute to "the green queen".
Roddick founded The Body Shop in Brighton in 1976, selling toiletries made from natural ingredients. She saw her business mushroom into an empire of more than 2,000 stores in 51 different markets. She sold her stake in The Body Shop to France's L'Oreal last year.
!ADVERTISEMENT!
(Additional reporting by Paris newsroom)
