Betty Joel, born Mary Stewart Lockhart in Hong Kong in 1894, ran a furniture making and design business. At its peak, in the 1920s and 30s, Betty Joel Ltd employed 50 craftsmen and had showrooms in Knightsbridge. With no formal training, she created, through a flair for branding and marketing, the leading furnishing company of the day in London.

The talk explores her early life and marriage to David Joel, exhibitions, and projects. Her clients included royalty (e.g. The Queen Mother), high society, politicians (e.g. Sir Winston Churchill), banks, hotels (e.g. the Savoy in London) as well as film companies and theatres.

With rare access to three remarkable surviving schemes in London, Nottingham and Harrogate, the style and glamour of 1930s‘ design is brought to life and retells the story of a determined woman in a world still run by men.