Justine Roberts
{{Short description|British businesswoman (b. 1967)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name =Justine Juliette Alice Roberts
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| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1967}}
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|alma_mater = New College, Oxford
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| known_for = founder and chief executive of British websites Mumsnet and Gransnet
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Justine Juliette Alice Roberts {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE}} (born October 1967) is the founder and chief executive of British websites Mumsnet and Gransnet.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/apr/15/profiles-justine-roberts|title=Women entrepreneurs: Justine Roberts|date=17 April 2013|work=The Guardian|accessdate=9 May 2013}}{{cite news|url=http://www.director.co.uk/magazine/2011/4_April/justine-roberts-mumsnet_64_08.html |title=Justine Roberts, founder, Mumsnet |last=Nielsen |first=Tina |date=April 2011 |work=Director Magazine |accessdate=9 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603050905/http://director.co.uk/MAGAZINE/2011/4_April/justine-roberts-mumsnet_64_08.html |archivedate= 3 June 2013 }}
Early life
Roberts was educated at Guildford High School and at New College, Oxford, where she read PPE.
Career
Roberts was named in the Media Guardian's 2010 power 100. Along with Mumsnet co-founder Carrie Longton, she was voted number 7 in BBC Woman's Hour's "Power List 2013" of the most powerful women in the UK.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qj7jd/profiles/longton-roberts|title=Carrie Longton and Justine Roberts|date=2013|publisher=BBC Radio 4|accessdate=9 May 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007qlvb/features/power-list-100|title=The Power List 2013|year=2013|publisher=BBC Radio 4|accessdate=9 May 2013}}
In May 2011, Roberts founded Gransnet,{{cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2011/05/06/mumsnet-goes-grey-as-it-launches-gransnet-1528/|title=Mumsnet goes grey as it launches Gransnet|last=Phillips|first=Tom|date=6 May 2011|website=Metro|access-date=12 June 2020}} a sister site to Mumsnet, for the over-50s.
She has appeared on The Media Show expressing concerns about legislation to regulate blogging,{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rgj1j|title=Justine Roberts of Mumsnet on regulating bloggers|date=27 March 2013|work=The Media Show|publisher=BBC Radio 4|accessdate=9 May 2013}} and in May 2013 she appeared on BBC Radio 4's Great Lives programme, nominating football manager Bill Shankly. On 24 December 2015, Roberts was listed by UK-based company Richtopia in the list of 500 Most Influential CEOs in the World.{{cite web|url=http://richtopia.com/inspirational-people/500-ceos|title=Top 500 CEOs: From Tim Cook to Justine Roberts, These Are the Most Influential CEOs in the World|work=Richtopia|accessdate=20 February 2016|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308084949/https://richtopia.com/inspirational-people/500-ceos/|url-status=dead}}
Roberts was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to the economy.{{London Gazette|issue=61803|supp=y|page=N9|date=31 December 2016}}
Personal life
Roberts married journalist Ian Katz not long before founding Mumsnet.{{cite web|url=https://rts.org.uk/article/challenges-facing-ian-katz-channel-4|publisher=Royal Television Society |title= The challenges facing Ian Katz at Channel 4 |last=Brown|first=Maggie|date= July 2018| access-date=17 March 2022}}Rustin, Susanna (4 October 2014). "Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts: 'We could do with all the parties being a bit more feminist'", The Guardian, p33. They had four children and separated in 2019.{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Julia Llewellyn |date=2023-01-07 |title=Mumsnet founder: 'Our users are deranged when it comes to Meghan' |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/mumsnet-founder-users-have-extraordinarily-strong-vitriolic/ |access-date=2023-01-07 |issn=0307-1235}}
Recognition
She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2013.{{Cite news |date=2013-10-20 |title=100 Women: Who took part? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-24579511 |access-date=2022-12-18}}
Inspiration and motivation
In 2024, Justine Roberts wrote a 'Letter to her younger entrepreneurial self'{{Cite web |last=EV |date=2024-06-04 |title=The CEO Letters – Justine Roberts {{!}} By EV |url=https://estrellaventures.com/blog/the-ceo-letters-justine-roberts/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=EV |language=en}} in which she spoke about how the community around Mumsnet is what inspired her and the purpose they gave her guided the businesses. She also quoted the community's support as the same reason the business "never had to spend much more than maybe £100 on advertising".{{Cite web |last=EV |date=2024-06-04 |title=The CEO Letters – Justine Roberts {{!}} By EV |url=https://estrellaventures.com/blog/the-ceo-letters-justine-roberts/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=EV |language=en}}
References
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Category:Alumni of New College, Oxford
Category:British technology company founders
Category:People educated at Guildford High School
Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
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