Claire Powell

With a career already spanning over 20 years, Claire Powell says it is her parents whom she lost when she was nine and eighteen are still her greatest inspiration and drive in life. Her mother who was also a very successful PR Executive was her best friend, and in her teens Claire and her mother used to run a jewellery business at the weekends selling at local markets. When her mother died she decided to leave Stoke and travel around the country selling her jewellery at holiday resorts and market stalls.  She later decided to go back to her roots returning to Stoke to work with her sister Vicki who had set up a hygiene company. In at the deep end Claire and Vicki often talk about the early days where they had to empty all the sanitary towel bins first thing in the morning with black gloves on up to their elbows!!  Her next business venture was a sandwich round which she started from scratch making sandwiches for local builders and offices. Selling sandwiches out of baskets, the business grew in no time at all from what was a tiny venture to a very successful company and Claire found her self selling into petrol stations and local shops as well as catering for weddings, parties and other restaurants. It is here she started to highlight her innate business ability and even though she was still in her early 20’s Claire decided to sell the business as a ‘going concern’.

Claire Powell’s next conquest was to help out a friend with a pop band made up of five young guys who happened to be called Take That. Claire worked with them for 18 months and was responsible for the PR at the beginning of their career. Claire organised and accompanied them on interviews and shoots which helped them to become the major success that they are today.  Perhaps one of Claire’s biggest achievements as far as media recognition was when she organised the popular magazine road shows during the 1990s to packed venues. Magazines including ‘TV Hits’, ‘Look In’, ‘Mizz’ and ‘My Guy’ covered the events and it was at these shows that Claire gave the likes of Westlife, PJ and Duncan (Ant & Dec) and Boyzone the opportunity to gig for the very first time. It goes with out saying that many of them went on to become extremely successful artists.  For the past 16 years Claire has managed Peter Andre. During this time he achieved worldwide success in his music career, with two number one albums, three number one singles and sell out tours around the world. Claire also looked after Rachel Hunter, with whom she has managed for the last eleven years and in 2004, Claire added Katie Price to her impressive list of clients, showing her strong ability to build celebrity profiles.

She is the one responsible for turning Katie and Peter into two of the best known celebrities in the country as individuals and one of the most powerful celebrity couples with an excellent profile throughout the world. Claire stopped working with Katie in May 2009, but continues to work with Peter and numerous new celebrity clients.  Claire’s PR clients also include a variety of different companies such as Ultimo’s bra range, campaigns for couture designers and launching Katie Price’s books and perfume, to name but a few. The photography side of the business has seen shoots with an endless list of celebrities including Mel B, Melanie Griffith and Halle Berry.  Claire had her first child in the summer of 2007 and she dotes over him but she remains a perfect example of how you can be both a great mother and still run a very successful business.