Lynne Franks

Lynne Franks OBE is a British communications strategist, author, activist, and entrepreneur whose career spans more than five decades at the intersection of business, fashion, and social change. Franks started Lynne Franks PR at age 21. The agency worked with high street brands including Harvey Nichols and Tommy Hilfiger, and represented individuals such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Annie Lennox, Lenny Henry, and Ruby Wax. The firm became one of the leading public relations agencies in the United Kingdom.

Among her contributions to the fashion industry, Franks persuaded the Murjani Corporation to sponsor a large tent outside the Commonwealth Institute in Kensington, enabling numerous designers to exhibit in one place in what is widely considered the first London Fashion Week. She also initiated the British Fashion Awards, helping to establish the United Kingdom as a global fashion capital.

Beyond fashion, Franks co-created Fashion Cares, the world's largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser; worked with Bob Geldof to promote Live Aid; chaired the United Kingdom's first women's radio station, Viva, where she presented her own radio show, "Frankly Speaking"; and created What Women Want, an event designed to highlight the changing position of women in society. She attended the United Nations' fourth women's conference in Beijing, working as a radio journalist to share the voices and issues of women worldwide. After stepping back from her PR agency, Franks moved to California and formed GlobalFusion, a cause-related marketing agency focused on environmentally friendly fashion and cosmetic brands, and helped launch The Big Issue in Los Angeles.

While in California, Franks developed the SEED model—Sustainable Enterprise and Empowerment Dynamics—as a framework for integrating femininity, sustainability, and social responsibility in business. She published "The SEED Handbook: The Feminine Way to Create Business," a guidebook for female entrepreneurs detailing a values-based approach to sustainable business. Through the SEED women's empowerment platform and educational materials, Franks has promoted women's leadership in diverse contexts, from post-war Bosnia to rural South African villages, and from prisons to corporate boardrooms. In collaboration with Tribal Education, she developed the SEED Women into Enterprise Programme, a blended learning course for self-employment aimed at women from marginalized and disadvantaged communities across the United Kingdom, delivered through local government agencies, training companies, and charities, as well as to inmates at Eastwood Park and Styal prisons.

Franks has authored several additional books, including "Grow: The Modern Woman's Handbook" and "Bloom: A Woman's Journal for Inspired Living." Her autobiography, "Absolutely Now!: A Futurist's Journey to Her Inner Truth," explores her emotional and spiritual journey after leaving the public relations industry, including her perspectives on feminism, environmental issues, and ethical business practices. She has delivered a TEDx Talk, "Return of the Wise Woman," and remains active in the movement for social change. Franks is a frequent public speaker and commentator, contributing articles to leading United Kingdom publications such as Daily Mail and Natural Health Magazine.

Franks was awarded an OBE for her services to business, fashion, and women's empowerment. Her vision for a sustainable future led by women has evolved into the SEED Pods movement, where small groups of women collaborate in their communities as changemakers, focusing on connection, environmental impact, and wellbeing. She also broadcasts regularly, runs the SEED Hub Club women's leadership platform, and hosts the podcast "Frankly Speaking with Lynne Franks and Friends." Franks is recognized for her leadership in communications, sustainable business, women's empowerment, and social change.