Anne McKevitt

Serial Entrepreneur Anne McKevitt is viewed as one of the most powerful women in Britain and is now making her mark in Australia and globally.

She was honoured as one of the forty Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World 2002 sponsored by Harvard, recognised by The International Herald Tribune as a World Class Entrepreneur, named by Time Magazine in 2001 as one of four International Business Leaders to Watch, placed at #30 in The Sunday Times 500 Most Powerful Britons and Forbes Magazine stated in 2003 “at the head of the pack …Anne McKevitt

At 15 Anne McKevitt bunked out of school in Scotland with no exams. By the time Anne was 23 she had already created a multi-million pound interior design, construction and property development business. She now heads up 21 separate businesses all part of AMI Group Enterprises with offices in Sydney, London & New York. She recently sold one business which in the past three years delivered the design of 1600 products with a retail value of $975 million.

Newly arrived in Australia, Anne was a finalist for 2005 Telstra Business Women’s Awards. These accolades are in recognition of her business acumen as CEO of AMI Group Enterprises, an international organisation separated into 21 businesses. Anne McKevitt has a unique approach; she is a dynamic and inspiring person who is totally involved in every business project AMI Group Enterprises undertakes. She is a leading authority on consumer lifestyle changes, competitiveness and diversity, both nationally and globally. She has advised and guided many multinationals world-wide including IKEA, Royal Doulton, Peugeot, Ernst & Young, WalMart, Deloitte, Waterford Crystal, WorldCom, Freeman’s Mail Order, Sainsbury’s Supermarkets, Wedgwood, Marks & Spencer, Moet e Chandon, Hewlett Packard and is also a much sought after motivational speaker and host for big occasions having performed live at events to audiences of 25,000 people.

Anne’s design work and projects have received numerous awards including; Best Home in Scotland - UK National Home Builder design awards sponsored by The Guardian newspaper. Best Home for the Future in the UK - UK National Home Builder design awards sponsored by The Guardian newspaper. Best Interior Layout - What House Awards sponsored by The Sunday Times newspaper. Civic Trust Award 2001 - Saltier Society. Housing Design Award 2000 - Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, Regeneration Achievement Award 2000 - Supreme Award - Charted Institute of Building Scotland, Good Building Award 2000 – Royal Town planning Institute Awards for Planning Achievement 2000. Commendation for Planning Urban Renaissance. WH Smith Literary Awards nominated Designer Know How as book of .the year.

Anne recently took up her honorary position of Executive-in-Residence at Brisbane Graduate School of Business, QUT where she also sits on their Advisory Committee. At BGSB she is involved in the business growth of the school as well as lecturing on Business, Marketing and Entrepreneurial skills. Anne also lectures in UK and other Australian universities; most recently she lectured MBA students at Deakin University Melbourne. Bond University on the Gold Coast, University of New South Wales and Victoria University of Technology have all requested she be involved in future programs. Anne was nominated to sit on the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard University John F Kennedy School of Government. Viewed by millions on television for nearly a decade in the UK, and through her published works, Anne instigated a colour and contemporary style revolution that transformed the British nation’s homes and gardens through her books and eighteen series of lifestyle TV programmes which she presented and designed for, on the BBC and ITV including Home Front, Home Front in the Garden, Watchdog: Value for Money, Watchdog: On the House, Healthcheck, This Morning and GMTV.

In the U.S. she appeared on HGTV, HSN, CBS, DISCOVERY and FOX networks and in syndicated series in another twenty countries worldwide. Anne has written five best-selling and critically acclaimed design books, which are sold in sixteen countries. Her first book ‘Style on a Shoestring’ sold a staggering one million copies, which broke new ground in this category of illustrated books, making it the 20th best-selling book of the 90’s in the UK through Worldbooks. Her celebrity earning power is ranked higher than fellow Brits David Bowie, Ewan McGregor, Michael Caine and Kate Winslett. OK! Magazine positioned Anne jointly with Liz Hurley as a top celebrity. She is currently writing a series of five business books and is now a columnist for The Australian CEO magazine.

Anne’s own life was changed forever when, having worked her way to the very top of the fashion world as a hairstylist personally trained by the legendary John Frieda, her world came crashing down when a near fatal car accident left her crippled with spinal damage. After lying flat on her back for almost a year in a totally white room, not knowing whether she’d ever walk again, clients Paul and Linda McCartney intervened and sought out alternative treatments for Anne. The result of these treatments led to Anne gradually regaining her mobility and eventually rebuilding her life. Knowing she couldn’t physically return to the world of fashion Anne sought another creative outlet. She bought her first apartment and she began to renovate it on a shoestring budget. Once the remodeling was complete it quickly caused a stir and soon the editor of British Vogue Alexander Shulman, supermodel Kate Moss and soul singer Jay Kay from Jamiroquai were all trying to purchase it. This led Anne down the unexpected path of becoming one of the world’s most celebrated designers whose flair and panache are totally self-taught. So diverse is her talent that she has worked on individual projects with budgets ranging from $100 to $75 million. Anne’s personal client list is very extensive reading like a who’s who.