Spabreaks.com founder wins Businessperson of The Year

The Sussex Business Awards celebrated their 33rd year at The Grand Hotel Brighton on 1st December, and amongst the winners was our very own Founder, Abi Selby, who took home the prize for Businessperson of The Year.

A wonderful way to bring the year to a close, the award is particularly meaningful to Abi and the team as a whole, because of our commitment to being part of the local business community from our offices in Brighton, where we have been located since 2017.

We know that the Sussex Business Awards offers a unique opportunity to showcase the best innovators, leaders and entrepreneurs in the county, and it's a privilege to sit alongside so many other organisations we admire.

Our wellness journey

In early 2008, Abi launched Spabreaks.com with a team of two interns, just four months after her first son was born.  Having started the company in the middle of a recession, Spabreaks.com reached the number two position in The Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 in 2012.

The founding principle of Spabreaks.com was to make spa experiences more accessible to anybody and everybody who wanted to go.  Abi wanted to bring back the ancient purpose of spas as places of sanctuary for mind and body.  However, she also wanted to balance those principles with commercial viability, proving that integrity and business success could go hand in hand. 

Abi’s approach has changed the way that spas are marketed and booked, supporting spa businesses and changing the way spas are perceived. She has made the spa industry more accessible and inviting to a much wider audience. A large area of her work has also been in contributing to systemic changes in the industry - for example, working with other leaders to change the way spa guests with cancer are welcomed and treated where once they were barred from spa experiences.

A spa industry leader

Within the company itself, Abi has nurtured talent across the board, helping people to find their place within the team. She has also been outspoken about the need for flexible working roles (especially for parents), remote working where possible and wellbeing support for individuals ranging from mental health to financial wellbeing. Mostly however, she has created a wonderful environment in which we can all work.

As a result, Abi has won a number of awards for Spabreaks.com as a company, and as a leading woman in business. She is also a board member for the UK Spa Association (focused on improving the quality, training, standards, inclusiveness, and professionalism at all levels within the spa trade) and for Cosmetics Executive Women (focused on improving and growing opportunities within the beauty and related sectors). As a member of an All Party Parliamentary Group representing the spa industry alongside Carolyn Harris MP, she works hard to improve the wellbeing industry, addressing topics in Parliament ranging from menopause to beauty banks, ensuring everyone has access to basic hygiene products.

Congratulations Abi!

Want to work with Abi and the team at Spabreaks.com?