sinesswoman, entrepreneur, raconteur and bon vivant. She was the recipient of the Top Women in Business and Government Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008 and has featured in the Nedbank Book of Women. Kate has written and published a number of short stories, and has been providing quality household staff to everyone from presidents to sports stars. She also has three daughters who now help out in the business.
Almost 20 years ago Kate founded Marvellous Maids and has since been the driving force behind quality domestic service provision in the country. Her new initiative, Quality Household Staff, takes out the hassle of trying to find new household staff; handling everything from reference checking to finding the right fit for each employer and employee. Quality Household Staff knows that a young family has different staff requirements to a retired couple and their famed service provides busy people with the reliable staff that they so desperately need.
Kate Shuttleworth worked in Soweto from 1982 and lived in Umlazi, outside Durban, in the late 1980’s. She was brought up in the privileged suburbs but when combined with her knowledge and experience from ‘the township years’, as well as her legal expertise, Kate was uniquely positioned to head up and start this kind of cross-cultural business.
Since starting her business, Kate has provided Quality Household Staff to presidents and princes, to earls and lords and ladies, to captains of industry and major players in national sporting teams, to literati, glitterati, archbishops and ministers, cabinet and of religion. She has placed them with millionaires, billionaires and people with airs and graces, but no money. They don’t just supply the rich and famous though. Every day Kate Shuttleworth and her daughters Clare, Natalie and Michelle place household staff in ordinary houses to ordinary families who understand the need to have their homes run and their children cared for while they are out there earning a living.
Learn all about Kate’s unusual journey into business ownership at The Working Mothers Expo on Friday 4 November at 12.45. As she says herself, “Never mind a business plan, I didn’t have a clue!” With that in mind, Kate will be sharing her stories with all of us talking about “The journey of a new industry, a new brand and a brand new me.”
The Working Mothers Expo, brought to you in partnership with MiWayLife, brings together everything working mothers need under one roof. 4-6 November 2016. Sandton Convention Centre. Meet our MCs, Elana Afrika and Claire Mawisa, at the Speakers Corner.
If you would like to inquire about sponsoring or exhibiting at the event, please email us and we will send you all the details you need.
Tickets available at Computicket