#18 Lush CEO: I Enjoy Being a Woke Nerd

Mark Constantine, founder and chief executive of Lush, discusses the Christmas rush, family run businesses, being "woke" and his love of birdsong in an amazing interview for Big Boss. He offers a festive perspective on the realities of retail during the Christmas season and describes the intense preparations for the holiday rush as akin to “preparing for war,” highlighting the logistical challenges and the need for resilience as customers descend on shops in the final days before Christmas.

He also discusses the importance of personal support in business, revealing that he works with a psychologist who helps him navigate the complexities of leadership and decision-making. He explains how regular sessions provide accountability and clarity, underscoring the value of ongoing self-development for business leaders.

Mark founded Lush with his wife, Mo, and their children have all been involved in the company in various ways. He reflects on the significance of family businesses in the British economy, outlining the strengths and challenges of running a family enterprise and considering succession, longevity, and the unique dynamics that shape these organisations.

Mark has followed in the footsteps of his business mentor and confidante Anita Roddick (Body Shop founder) and decided early on that you can run a business and be outspoken about the issues you care about. As well as shutting his shops in the UK for 24 hours to protest against the war in Gaza, Lush has also been vehemently opposed to animal testing from the outset, and even closed down its social media presence—despite costing the company £9 million annually in lost revenue. He explains the reasoning behind this move, citing concerns about the impact of social media on young people and the company’s commitment to ethical responsibility.

He also reveals a deep personal interest in both poetry and birdsong, describing the former as a source of wisdom and a means of distilling complex thoughts into concise, memorable lines, noting its value for those in business. He is a self-confessed nerd who loves learning and maintains one of the world’s largest private collections of birdsong recordings