Female professionals club AllBright lands £9m funding for US expansion

AllBright, the members club and digital academy for female professionals, has secured multi-million pound funding to pursue expansion in the US.

The London-headquartered organisation will use a £9m investment to launch a club in Los Angeles next year, marking its first opening outside the UK.

AllBright has also announced the appointment of Allan Leighton, former chief executive of supermarket giant Asda, to the role of chairman.

Allan was one of several investors to back AllBright in the latest funding round, which was led by financiers Cain International and included Darren Throop, CEO of Canadian record label Entertainment One; Robert Swannell, former chairman of retailer M&S; and a syndicate of existing AllBright members.

AllBright was founded by entrepreneur Debbie Wosskow OBE and Anna Jones, former UK chief exec of Hearst Magazines.

The organisation currently operates from its Bloomsbury-based club The AllBright, with plans in place to open a second, The AllBright Mayfair, early next year. It also runs the AllBright Academy and FoundHER, a festival celebrating women in business and leadership.

Debbie Wosskow OBE said: “We are hugely excited about the global expansion of AllBright and we are delighted to welcome Allan Leighton as our Chairman.

“AllBright is all about championing and celebrating women in the workplace. It has never been anti-men. We have men working across the business. For us, the appointment of chair was not about gender but about securing the right person with the credentials and experience we need.”

She continued: “That’s why we chose Allan. We wanted someone with a different, but complementary background to ours. Since launching AllBright, we have grown rapidly into a destination brand for women from all sectors.

“AllBright has galvanised a strong and dynamic community of like-minded women and we are excited about growing this community globally as we continue to develop the business.”

Cain International CEO Jonathan Goldstein commented: “We believe in AllBright, and since Cain International’s initial investment in 2017, we have watched with pride as the company has grown, delivering on its own long-term growth strategy and providing a supportive space for working women to achieve their goals.

“Given our footprint in the US, we are perfectly placed to help Anna and Debbie realise their vision of growing the AllBright clubs, Academy and community in the US and beyond. We’re incredibly excited to continue our journey with them.”

Allan Leighton said: “I’m thrilled to take on the position of Chairman of AllBright. Debbie and Anna are outstanding operators who have already created a standout brand that successfully focuses on both profit and purpose.

“I am excited about their vision and ambition for the business and l look forward to helping them achieve it.”