The end for AllBright, the women-only members’ club, was as swift as it was shocking.
The organisation, which describes itself as the leading career network for women, creating connections through digital and physical spaces, has gone into administration.
Following the news it was announced the company’s five-storey townhouse in the exclusive area of Mayfair in London would be closing its doors.
Members received an email last week to say they would instead have access to a ‘dedicated lounge’ at the Old Session House in Farringdon.
The news seems to have caught everyone by surprise.
There’s no mention of the administration on AllBright’s website or social media channels.
AllBright CEO Viviane Paxinos hasn’t commented publicly although she was active on LinkedIn as little as a week ago when she reshared photos from June 2024 of her receiving the Freedom of the City of London.
She ended that particular post with the line: “One thing that is for certain, I will always do my best for you.”
It’s unclear what went wrong but AllBright’s high profile co-founders – Anna Jones and Debbie Wosskow OBE – have taken to social media to speak of their shock.
Wosskow, who exited the business in 2022, is now the co-chair of the Invest in Women Taskforce
She wrote: “We had amazing times running that business – highs, lows and everything in between. 2017 was a very different time – feminism was in a different place – post Me Too and the first era of Trump. Businesses in the US like The Wing and Chief were our transatlantic sisters.
“Two-and-a-half years have passed since our exit and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) now seems unfashionable. Those early rooms of incredible women lit us up, and relationships were built that changed women’s lives.
“We hope that the amazing AllBright members continue to find inspirational spaces in which to come together in the future.”
Jones, who is now the CEO of Telegraph Media Group, added: “So sad to see the news that AllBright has abruptly closed – and hoping the community it built will live on.
AllBright’s co-founders Anna Jones and Debbie Wosskow, who have exited the business
“Even though I left a few years ago, I’ll always be deeply grateful for the incredible women and the connections I made while building this business.
“The work we started isn’t over. Women still need opportunities to connect, grow, and lead.”
Rachel Newton, founder of PR and marketing agency Brave PR, wrote: “Today’s news about the closure of AllBright was such a surprise to me, especially when now more than ever women need to come together to support each other as the world changes.
“The journey of launching AllBright stands as one of the most meaningful chapters in my PR career – from launching the groundbreaking first ‘female only member’s club’ at Rathbone Place to launching The AllBright Academy, the book, International Women’s Day campaigns with the Mayor of London, the global expansion into new markets, the app and the second member’s club in Mayfair.”
Podcast host and public speaker Nicky Elliott took to LinkedIn to write: “You have heard that AllBright has closed down, just a short few years after it was bought out. It was a thriving business and community space online and offline, and now it’s gone into administration.
“Let this be a reminder that building a community from the ground up involves intangible magic. Keeping it going and growing requires more of the same.
“It’s not about follower counts, or perfectly curated posts, it’s about people. It’s about creating a space where those people feel seen, heard, and supported as they tackle one of the hardest (and most rewarding) paths there is: building a business.”
AllBright is thought to have struggled with the combination of rising rents and the post-pandemic world.
Individual memberships started at £1,950 a year but BusinessCloud understands that very few members were using the space.
According to Companies House AllBright’s accounts were also overdue.
The new administration comes two years after Cain International, co-founded by Chelsea FC’s co-owner Jonathan Goldstein, wrote off AllBright’s debts and reinvested in the business via a pre-pack administration.
In 2023, AllBright launched the AllBright Alliance, a global collective of businesses committed to driving positive change for all women in the workplace.
The AllBright Alliance launched with seven founding corporate partners that include Eldridge, BNY Mellon Investment Management, HSBC, Simba Sleep, Northern Bloc, Visionable Healthcare and Chelsea FC.
The founding partners committed to meeting once a year to share best practices and learnings from the programme.
What’s clear is that the AllBright of 2025 is nothing like the flourishing organisation that Wosskow and Jones founded.
It was launched to discover and fund companies led by female entrepreneurs at all stages of growth and make the UK ‘the best place in the world to be a female founder’.
UK female funding boost as £250m+ raised for Invest in Women Taskforce
The club’s members included high-profile women such as tech entrepreneur Martha Lane-Fox, Margot James and actors Naomie Harris and Ruth Wilson.
Former Asda chief executive Allan Leighton was appointed chairman in 2018 and in 2019 AllBright raised £13m in a deal that valued the organisation at £100m.
It’s not clear how many jobs have been lost following the administration although it’s thought some of the events – particularly the online ones – may continue.