in conversation with
living life to the full
Michael Dodd, Managing Director of Ellipse and Venus Systems, chats to Guild News about his early career beginnings in the industry and his life’s passions.
I ended up in the beauty industry because… After I left school I started as a hair stylist at Vidal Sassoon and then moved to Glemby International, working my way up to Group Director. I opened salons in department stores such as Fenwicks, Alders and Fortnum and Mason. During the 1970s I started my own hair salon business and when I moved to Florida in the 80s I opened hair and beauty salons in Miami and Palm Beach. I returned to the UK in the 90s and started SuperCuts, the very successful chain of hair salons, alongside my friend Sydney Lesley. After selling my shares in the business I was then approached by the Danish manufacturers of the Ellipse Hair Removal system to distribute in the UK. More recently I started distributing the Venus Radio Frequency system.
If I wasn’t in the beauty industry… I would like to have been involved in the fashion industry. I enjoy the hands on approach and would have liked to have been in the retail end of the business. I have always enjoyed working with women.
The best thing about my job is… I am very lucky to be involved with two great brands, Ellipse and Venus. I also have great people in the office working with me.
An average day for me is… I normally start the day early and have a brief meeting with my staff. We catch up on the previous day’s activities and set some goals that we would like to achieve on that day. The rest of my day is engaged in speaking to potential customers and looking at ways of promoting both of my products.
My ideal weekend would be… Visiting my home in South Beach, Miami. It would involve sitting by the pool and being in the company of my wife, daughter and the two recent additions to my family, my grandchildren.
My favourite book is… I don’t have a specific favourite but I do however enjoy reading self-motivational books. They inspire me to work harder and to achieve as much as I can in my business life.
My favourite film is… My favourite films are all very different. They are; Doctor Zhivago, Funny Girl and Gone with the Wind.
The most famous person I’ve met is… I have met a number of famous people over the years including John Travolta, Muhammad Ali and Donna Summer. Some years ago I played golf in the Bob Hope Classic and was fortunate enough to meet the great man.
My favourite part of the world is… Probably the Bahamas, and in particular some of the smaller islands. It’s very relaxing and the people are great. It is my heaven and enables me to get away from the normal hustle and bustle of London Life.
I could not live without… My family. I need them like I need the air to breathe.
My favourite beauty treatment is… A great massage, lying on the beach of some tropical island.
When I was growing up my role model was… My parents. They gave me great emotional support and taught me what is important in our lives. I try to live by these great values and still today hold them dear to me.
I would like to be remembered as… A genuine person who has put back into life more than I have taken out.
122 GUILD NEWS
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