Here at Team Vivendi, we’re incredibly proud to be celebrating Women’s Entrepreneurship Day. It’s no secret that being a woman in business can be an arduous task but the tides are turning and women are becoming more powerful than ever before.
We couldn’t let this annual dedication go by however, without giving a shout out to our very own team, consisting of three tenacious, gritty, down right awesome women who work their socks off every single day to make this brand what it is.
Being a successful woman in business today, requires courage to not only own what you’re doing but own who you are. It’s our differences, our foibles, our pasts, hell, even our greatest mistakes that make us such great assets when it comes to Team Vivendi, especially when you consider all three women of Team Vivendi come from a military or emergency services background. It’s this connection that makes this team an even more bonded and unique one than we believe, any other out there.
As successful women, we know that powerful can still be feminine, confidence can still be vulnerable and success can still be humble. Today we want to put the spotlight on the three women behind this brand and just what makes them so incredibly amazing, amazing enough to make up the trio that is Vivendi because… We Are Vivendi. #IAmVivendi
Elizabeth Davies
Founder & Creative Director
We couldn’t possibly dive into a celebration of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day without first beginning with the very reason Vivendi Apparel is the brand it is today - Elizabeth Davies. Elizabeth is not only the founder of Vivendi Apparel, but the Creative Director too, being the artistic brains behind the incredible designs you wear each and every day. While Elizabeth did in fact study design in her University days, her journey to becoming the founder and creative director of a globally recognised compression wear brand isn’t as straight forward as some may have thought,
Elizabeth’s journey actually began within the medical industry, working within physiotherapy for children and adults with learning disabilities. From here, she moved on to working in children’s homes for those in care. Here she spent a great deal of time working in conjunction with the Police which inspired her own career change to become a police officer herself. Dealing with emergency incidents, downright dangerous scenarios and every possible situation you could imagine turned Elizabeth into the powerful, driving force that first began Vivendi Apparel.
Elizabeth spends her time overseeing the entire running of the business while also designing our compression wear to ensure it’s not only medical grade quality but as stylish in its design as it is functional.
Having horses herself during her time living in France and now a passionate fitness fanatic, Elizabeth designs compression wear that she knows will do the job intended while making sure every woman feels as wonderful as they look - something she felt to be missing from the market, especially within the equestrian industry.
Elizabeth has a vision, and she’ll do everything in her power to bring that to life. Now with her incredible team around her, it’s coming to fruition in ways she never imagined.
Jennifer Hyde
Marketing Director
Having run the brand herself for the first almost 18 months of its journey, Elizabeth knew it was time to bring on a new member of the team and where better to find that person than from within her own ambassador group.
Jennifer became an ambassador for Vivendi Apparel in December 2018, just a few months following the brand’s launch. Having spent the next year and half not only promoting the brand but wearing it herself when riding her own horses and keeping fit in between operations, Jennifer not only knew the benefits of the compression wear in the saddle, but out of the saddle, having worn the C180 Compression Leggings following major surgery to provide her with the compression benefits she so needed.
During her time as an ambassador, Elizabeth and Jennifer had formed a special connection thanks to their past history both working for the emergency services. While Jennifer had spent the best part of 8 years perfecting her content writing skills and social media marketing wizardry, she’d also spent 15 years from the tender age of 19 working as a frontline firefighter, attending emergency situations from huge commercial fires, domestic house fires, car crashes and terrorist incidents.
While Jennifer had felt the fear of being ‘stuck’ in her public sector career, it was Elizabeth who’d given her the confidence (and a job for that matter) allowing her to move away from the emergency services to pursue her dreams of marketing stardom in January 2020 - and so the beginning of Team Vivendi was born.
Jen is our Marketing Director and while the first 18 months of her Vivendi Apparel life may have consisted of wearing a number of different hats, from customer services to wholesale accounts, Jen is now focusing solely on the marketing aspect of Vivendi Apparel, running all social media platforms, as well as creating content. The words you see on our website and just about anywhere this brand has a voice, will be hers. With her wordsmith like ways, Jen will be pushing the brand forward to ensure its message of medical benefits really gets itself out there and makes this brand exactly what Elizabeth dreamed it would be - a brand with a purpose, a brand able to help.
Emma Davies
Commercial Director
Last but most certainly not least, we have the infamous Emma Davies. While she may be Davies by name, she’s not related to Elizabeth Davies however their love of Disney Karaoke would have many questioning that.
Emma was brought in to the team in April 2021 to become the corporate voice, and officially the Commercial Director. What makes this incredible female entrepreneur such a great fit for the team? Perhaps her military background that saw her taking on leadership roles and gaining qualifications during her four years at Uni. While most were sleeping off hangovers, Emma was experiencing true camaraderie (something she brings to each Vivendi meeting), keeping her and her military partners going in the cold, dark and damp mornings as they crawled through wet grounds. Not only did Emma develop a deep respect for the military but it set her in good stead for keeping Elizabeth and Jen on track as Team Vivendi’s Commercial Director.
With 15 years in global business development for leading British premium brands, to say Emma is experienced is an understatement. But before you plug this incredible woman as a corporate body, think again. Thanks to this truly unique experience, Emma has since developed her own preferred approach to leadership and now makes it her mission to ensure fun is always introduced into the workplace. With a transatlantic lifestyle, having spent three previous years living and working in Los Angeles, and now spending 3 months of the year in Canada while spending the rest here in the UK, Emma isn’t just an incredible asset but our global voice. Emma is the moral compass of our brand and is making it her mission to ensure we grow and expand at a rate that’s sustainable for not only the brand but the world around us.
Team Vivendi
Team Vivendi is a unique, powerful trio. With experiences in the police, the fire service, the military and of course the corporate business world, it’s no wonder this brand is making waves and equally, should come as no surprise that we had to shout from the rooftops about our fabulous team. In the infamous words of Reese Witherspoon, ‘Ambition is not a dirty word’ and this trio have bundles of ambition!