Diana Richardson, CEO and Founder of Garner Maven, received the Excellence in Business Mentorship (Beauty) award at the Impact Innovation Summit & Excellence Awards 2025, in Riyadh. The award recognized her 25-year long career building businesses and helping others do the same.
She was one of the few recipients from the beauty sector, which made her win all the more significant.
How It All Started
Diana’s career in beauty began well before the awards and recognition. She took early jobs in local salons, learning on the job and watching how things were done behind the scenes. That experience pushed her toward formal training and, over time, into launching her own businesses.
She holds a first-class degree in Strategic Innovation from the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, earned a teaching qualification from Greenwich University, and studied Communications at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. But her path has always been shaped more by experience than titles.
Outside the classroom, Diana has spent years building businesses. She’s started ten beauty and wellness companies over her career, some she ran for years, others she sold. Her podcast, Glowgetter Beauty Entrepreneurs, now with over 100 episodes, shares the lessons she’s picked up along the way. In 2024, she put many of those ideas into a book called The Glowgetters Guide to Running a Blooming Business. Whether she’s coaching or writing, her focus stays the same: giving beauty founders tools they can actually use.
Teaching What She Knows
Diana works closely with the people she coaches. She gives clear feedback, helps them plan, and talks through real issues that come up when running a business. She also supports university programs and CPD (continued professional development) initiatives, helping students and professionals gain real-world beauty and business skills.
Her coaching is tailored—not one-size-fits-all. Some clients open their first salons; others expand existing skincare lines or move into digital services. She walks them through product strategy, client retention, hiring, and pricing with both detail and care.
Through Garner Maven and Signature D Limited, she’s helped over 150 beauty business owners in the last five years alone. Many of them have gone on to receive awards themselves or launch in international markets.
What Diana Said on Winning
After receiving the award, Diana shared:
“It means a lot to see others grow and get where they want to be,” she said.
She also reflected on her own journey—how she had to start over more than once, adjust plans, and work through setbacks. Those experiences now shape how she mentors others. “The beauty industry moves quickly,” she said, “but the real challenge is staying clear on why you started—and building something that lasts.”
The Impact Innovation Summit & Excellence Awards 2025 brought together leaders, founders, and change-makers from over 30 countries. Each award recognized work that was making a difference—not just in revenue, but in how people were supported, taught, or inspired.
Diana’s award for Excellence in Business Mentorship (Beauty) stood out as one of the few honors given in the beauty sector. During the ceremony, she was applauded not only for her long list of achievements, but for her role in helping over 150 beauty entrepreneurs build or grow their own businesses in the last five years.
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