Partner Article

Getting to know... Lorraine McGill

We know you as the Founder of Willow & Maine, and a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, but who is the person behind the title? Tell us a little about what makes you tick…
I’m Lorraine and as well as running Willow & Maine I’m mother to two teenage daughters, married to Paul, with a dog called Indie and I’m obsessed with everything interiors related.

Did you always want to work in your industry?
I’ve loved interiors since I was about 13 but until 2013, I worked in the corporate world at HMRC, Lloyds TSB, Scottish Widows and Sage running sales teams, before moving into smaller businesses in Sales Director roles, always working with customers. It wasn’t until 2018 that I started Willow & Maine.

What’s the best bit about your job? And the worst? 
The best bit is the clients they are so varied from judges to doctors, police to teachers,  and everything in between. I’m so lucky to work with lovely people. I can’t think of a worst bit of my job although being on a cold building site in the rain is probably up there!

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement? 
In 2018 when I started Willow & Maine, I ran it alongside a full-time job in IT. Going full time in the business in 2022 and launching my interiors accessories business this year are my biggest business achievements.

How do you relax outside of work? 
I love spending time with family and traveling. When I’m not doing interiors, I’m reading about it, watching programs about it and going to interior shows.

What makes the Northeast such a great place to live and work? 
We’ve got the best beaches, probably the most castles and great towns and cities. The people are very canny too.

Tell us something about you we didn’t know…
When I worked at Lloyds TSB we were having a charity day and I ran around the building with a colleague as one half of a black horse.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Entrepreneurs' Forum .