Gordon Roddick, 67, helped found The Body Shop in Brighton with his wife Anita in 1976. In March 2006 – 18 months before Anita died – L’Oreal bought their company for £652m.

Roddick had trained as an agricultural scientist before emigrating to Australia aged 20. By the time he met his wife, he had worked in tin mining, sheep farming and had canoed down the Amazon. As Body Shop’s co-chairman, he became involved in helping disadvantaged groups, particularly in Brazil.