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Rachel Lowe

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For the Australian soccer player, see Rachel Lowe (soccer). For the British artist and filmmaker, see Rachel Lowe (artist).
Rachel Lowe
File:Rachel-lowe-portrait.jpg
Born
Rachel Tanya Lowe

August 1977 (age 47)
EducationUniversity of Portsmouth
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forCreator of Destination

Rachel Tanya Lowe MBE (born August, 1977) is a British serial entrepreneur and board games developer. She is best known for developing the Destination series of games, including editions for Toy Story, the London 2012 Olympic Games and Downton Abbey.[1][2][3]

She is the founder of Rachel Lowe Games & Puzzles, a company that creates board games under license for brands such as The Elf on the Shelf and Call the Midwife.[4][5]

Early life and education

Lowe graduated from the University of Portsmouth with a degree in Law and Business. While studying, she brought up her two young children and worked part time as a taxi driver.[6]

Career

Destination board games

In 2003, Lowe founded board games designer and publisher RTL Games.[7] She got the idea for her first board game, Destination Portsmouth, while working as a taxi driver. She self-funded production of the board game by selling sponsorships to local businesses.[2][6]

In 2004, she appeared on the BBC television show Dragons’ Den in the UK.[8]

In the same year, Lowe developed a London version of the game, Destination London.[9] She launched it in toy retailer Hamleys, and it went on to become the store's best-selling board game that year, outselling Monopoly and Twister.[10][8][11] Lowe went on to produce versions of the game under license for Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc and The Incredibles. She has launched over 30 versions of the series.[3][12]

In 2008, Lowe secured a deal with Warner Bros to produce a Harry Potter-themed board game, Destination Hogwarts, to coincide with the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.[13] Delays to the release of the film meant that her company missed the Christmas sales period and the bank's refusal to offer a bridging loan led to the closure of RTL Games in 2009, with Lowe's company being featured in a BBC Panorama documentary, Banks Behaving Badly.[11][14][15]

In 2010, Lowe relaunched the Destination board game series with entrepreneur Simon Dolan. The Harry Potter-themed version of the game launched at the London Film Museum in 2011.[16][17]

Lowe was awarded a license to develop official Olympics-themed board games in 2012. She launched Destination London 2012, and Destination London 2012 Sports, a junior edition of the board game.[18] Lowe also launched Destination Downton Abbey, as well as the Downton Abbey Compendium of Parlour Games and Playing Cards.[2][11]

In 2014, she appeared on the panel for an episode of BBC's The Apprentice: Your Fired for the candidates’ board game challenge.[19]

She Who Dares

In 2010, Lowe founded lifestyle brand She Who Dares UK. The company produced perfume, jewellery and accessories for women.[20][2]

The company later launched its own fragrances, Eminence and Dalliance, and signed a deal to produce Swarovski fashion accessories. The company's fragrances were sold in Jarrold.[2][11]

Lowe resigned as a director of She Who Dares in July 2017.[20]

Rachel Lowe Games & Puzzles

In 2017, Lowe founded Rachel Lowe Games and Puzzles, which creates and sells licensed board games, jigsaw puzzles and card games.[21] The company has created products under license for Hotel Transylvania, Call the Midwife, Mr Bean, Friday Night Dinner, Laurel and Hardy and WWE.[22][23][12]

In 2017, Lowe released a board game for the Jumanji film series, which became a top seller on Amazon and won Product of the Year at the Toy Industry Awards in 2019.[24][4][25]

In 2019, Lowe launched the WWE: Road to WrestleMania board game, along with a puzzle and playing cards. In the same year, her company was awarded a licence to launch the official Elf on the Shelf Board Game, which launched in December 2020.[22][5]

Rachel Lowe Games & Puzzles was one of the official licensing partners to develop and launch a range of official Beano puzzles and games to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Dennis the Menace.[23]

Other activity

Lowe is an Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Portsmouth, where she advises students, alumni and staff on the launch or growth of their businesses.[26]

She serves as a Governor at Portsmouth College, where she sits on Audit and Student Health and Wellbeing committees.[27]

Recognition

In 2006, Lowe was the winner of the NatWest everywoman Award, which celebrates female entrepreneurial success.[28]

She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2009 for her services to business in promoting enterprise in schools, colleges, and universities.[29]

References

  1. ^ "Rachel Tanya LOWE personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Rachel Lowe's Journey From Cab Driver To Board Game Developer". HuffPost UK. 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  3. ^ a b "Portsmouth woman wins award for Jumanji board game". www.portsmouth.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  4. ^ a b "Board game designer Rachel Lowe launches new Call the Midwife licensed title". ToyNews. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  5. ^ a b "Game designer Rachel Lowe launches the official The Elf on the Shelf Board Game". ToyNews. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  6. ^ a b "Rachel Lowe - She Who Dares". The Business Magazine. 2013-02-25. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  7. ^ "RTL GAMES LIMITED filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  8. ^ a b "Seven Dragons' Den 'failures' that went on to earn millions". The Telegraph. 2017-08-21. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  9. ^ "How Rachel Lowe survived a Dragons' Den mauling". MoneyWeek. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  10. ^ Media, Insider. "Game on for Rachel Lowe ahead of new launch". Insider Media Ltd. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  11. ^ a b c d "'SHE WHO DARES' Entrepreneur Rachel Lowe MBE on bouncing back". Womanthology. 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  12. ^ a b "Rachellowe.co.uk | Shop Games & Puzzles | Buy Games | Shop Puzzles". Rachel Lowe Games & Puzzles. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  13. ^ Tabbitt, Sue (2012-10-29). "Bouncing back from bankruptcy". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  14. ^ "Start-up Q&A: Rachel Lowe, She Who Dares". www.managementtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  15. ^ "Bank breaks Harry Potter spell". 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  16. ^ "DIARY OF AN INVENTOR: Rachel Lowe and Destination". ToyNews. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  17. ^ "'I'd never realised how cut-throat business could be' - Rachel Lowe". www.managementtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  18. ^ "Rachel back on top with Olympic game". Daily Echo. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  19. ^ "BBC Two - The Apprentice: You're Fired, Series 10, Episode 6". BBC. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  20. ^ a b "SHE WHO DARES UK LTD people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  21. ^ "About Rachel Lowe MBE". Rachel Lowe Games & Puzzles. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  22. ^ a b "Award-winning game designer Rachel Lowe launches WWE: Road to WrestleMania Board Game". ToyNews. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  23. ^ a b "Rachel Lowe unveils Beano board game to celebrate Dennis' 70th anniversary". Toy World Magazine | The business magazine with a passion for toys. 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  24. ^ "Rachel Lowe jointly awarded Game of the Year". Toy World Magazine | The business magazine with a passion for toys. 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  25. ^ Hurst, Ben (2015-12-13). "Rachel Lowe is back in the game after savaging by TV's Dragons". Business Live. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  26. ^ "Entrepreneurs in Residence". www.port.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  27. ^ "Members of the Corporation". Portsmouth College. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  28. ^ "NatWest everywoman Awards - Previous Winners and Finalists". Everywoman. 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  29. ^ "Page 19 | Supplement 59090, 13 June 2009 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
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