Anita Roddick died yesterday. It was a sad day. I've known Anita since 1994 when I was in business school. She was a pioneer in making business a force of change. At that time, she and Ben Cohen were my business role models.
In 2001, I ended up being Chairman and CEO of Body Shop Digital -- the bricks to click version of the Body Shop. Ultimately, this joint venture between Softbank and Body Shop never truly launched. We sold the company back to the corporate parent. During that time, I had the pleasure of working with Anita and Gordon Roddick.
Anita was awesome. An inspiration to listen to and a true visionary. Fun to be around. She also was a bit kooky and crazy -- but I've always had a soft spot for kooky, crazy and passionate women. I will miss her. I think the world would be a better place if there more people like Anita :-). Goodbye Anita.
