Ann Summers supremo Jacqueline Gold dies aged 62

theguardian.com:

Jacqueline Gold, the businesswoman behind the success of Ann Summers, has died at the age of 62, her family have said.They said her death on Thursday evening after seven years of treatment for breast cancer had left them “utterly heartbroken”.Gold, who was executive chair of the sex toys and lingerie retail chain, was a powerful advocate for women in business, and just this Wednesday had led a Twitter chat to promote female entrepreneurs.

She was recognised with a CBE in 2016 for services to entrepreneurship, women in business and social enterprise.In 2015, Gold said: “I set out to empower women in the bedroom and now I want to empower women in the boardroom.”Her sister Vanessa Gold, the chief executive of Ann Summers, said: “Jacqueline courageously battled stage 4 breast cancer for seven years and was an absolute warrior throughout her cancer journey.

In life she was a trailblazer, a visionary, and the most incredible woman, all of which makes this news that much harder to bear.

As a family, we are utterly heartbroken at the loss of our wife, mum, sister, and best friend.”Jacqueline Gold’s death comes less than three months after that of her father, David, the joint chairman of West Ham United.