Photography by Oda Ede
Photographed in the K&H Showroom, Charlie wears dress by Baum und Pferdgarten teamed with green vintage Gucci belt, Miu Miu shoes and Sophie Lis Fallen Moon diamond necklace.
As she sweeps into the room heads turn and conversations stop.
A petite blond bombshell with laid back style polished to perfection, it is quote obvious to everyone that this woman is someone special... famous perhaps... who is she?
As she greats me with her huge warm smile and effervescent eyes sparkling, I understand a little more the power this flawless, delicate and immaculate beauty possesses.
Charlie Boud can light up the darkest room with just one smile.
Similarly and quite spectacularly, she can also do the same for her clients. Charlie has a golden touch, a unique ability to transform an unknown brand overnight and turn it into one of the fashion world's current must have names.
Co Founder and Director of K&H Comms, Charlie has proved her business prowess time after time with her natural alchemy, launching brands and moulding them into global leaders.
She is ambitious, passionate, hardworking and above all, seriously good fun!
As this month's #SophieLisGirl, we find out the real the story behind how this impressive lady got to where she is by working her way up the ladder from the very bottom.
A truly inspirational women - meet Charlie Boud...
Charlie wears Sophie Lis Fallen Star Diamond Ring together with her engagement ring
1.) Was there a defining moment when you knew fashion was something which would be a big part of your life?
I have always been obsessed with fashion even as a little girl. My mum was the epitome of 80’s glam and I definitely think that rubbed off. She would wear cashmere Maxa Mara outfits with big gold statement earrings and a Chanel bum bag, and had peroxide chin length hair. My dad who owned his own advertising agency in Soho always looked chic and fabulous, and wore linen Armani suits and hand stitched loafers. They were a power couple, looking great came naturally to them and was part of their brand.
My godmother is a fabric buyer for big fashion brands in New York. When I was 15 I begged her to let me come and stay to shadow her at work. My job was to sort tiny swatches of fabric into bags for two weeks...and I loved it!!
When I was a little bit older and at university, I took a turn and decided to follow my dads more business oriented path. I enrolled in a business course at Exeter University and interned every summer at a different advertising agency. I found I really missed fashion, so I hustled with a family friend who worked at Jimmy Choo to get me an interview with the PR department. While my friends all left uni to go and party, I stacking countless boxes of shoes in a back room.
Charlie and her business partner Skye at K&H Comms HQ
I decided from there that I wanted to work in an agency so one lunch time, I 'borrowed' Diary Directory from the Jimmy Choo office - back then it was a huge dusty book with DO NOT TAKE written on the front! I went to the park and called every PR agency I had ever heard the name of... and finally Modus. A guy said to me ‘Girl you are in luck, we’ve got an opening for a junior and are interviewing today, get your ass down here.’ So I feigned illness and ran there. I didn’t get that job but he liked my chutzpah and offered me a job on the beauty team instead. Not my first choice but an ‘in’ nevertheless, so I took it. I loved this job.
At Modus I worked my way up the ladder until I wanted something more business oriented. I stumbled across Mission Media, a growing PR agency with an advertising agency mentality. I interviewed for a job well above my station and my future boss said to me ‘you know I’ve interviewed 10 people today and they have all had terrible shoes, so you’ve got the job’.
The founder was a woman who was fierce and inspirational. I worked my butt off for three years so by the time I was 27, drawing inspiration from my boss who had built her own empire, I decided to do the same.
I forged a partnership with my trusty side kick from the fashion team Skye and off we went. We both gave up big salaries to do this and we didn’t have any clients or money. We had to really work, but before we knew it we had ten fashion brands on board and money in the bank. We took an office, employed our first staff member, bought some desks from ikea and we were in business.
The K&H Showroom
2.) Tell us about about your company K&H Comms.
We wanted K&H to be a hard working agency, to give brands the results of a big agency with a personal touch. We were picky with who we took on and we had a rule that you could only PR it if you would wear it yourself. We had some very early successes, Demellier handbags and Taylor Morris sunglasses being examples. Both had unreal press campaigns and were seen on the likes of Cara and Poppy Delevingne, Suki Waterhouse, Rita Ora, Sienna Miller, David Gandy, Khloe Kardashian and Harry Styles within launch phase.
Within four years we had grown to eight staff and were literally sitting on top of each other. We had so little room that we would have meetings with big brand owners and they would have to sit in a rail of clothes with a scarf draped over their head. A start up at its best.
Our big break was when we won Kit and Ace, a fashion label started by the owners of LuluLemon. A big brand with a big budget and a serious growth strategy (they opened 90 stores around the world in their first year). It allowed us to move offices, update our entire business offering and one by one, the big brands followed. Our business was in full swing.
Denim rail by DL1961 followed by a selection of clothing by Stone Goya
From here (six years later) we decided to launch beauty. We employed a girl from L’Oreal to come and set up the division and she quickly populated it to eight brands. We then decided to do the same with lifestyle and took someone from Lutchford PR to replicate the model. My husband owns restaurants so that seemed like a natural step.
The final piece of the puzzle was wholesale. We have been asked countless times to do wholesale for brands but have just never had the capacity. When we were finally ready to do it, we looked and looked and looked for the right person to set it up...and finally found an amazing girl from Polly King to run it. This has been the quickest division growth we have ever seen. She is in demand!
We now have 44 brands over all the different divisions and want that to double over the course of the year. 2018 is our big growth year and we won’t quit until the agency is on everyone’s lips.
Charlie wears pretty pink dress by Stone Goya, shoes by Miu Miu and jewellery by Sophie Lis and stands in front of display - shoes by Julia Mays and bags Alexandra de Curtis
3.) In the current climate, PR seems to be shifting away from print media towards celebrity endorsements, bloggers and influencers etc. How has your company evolved with these changes.
As a business we have had to really evolve over the years. When Skye and I first started in PR all you needed was a little black book of fashion editors from the top monthlies and you were set. Not the case anymore. We now offer a full 360 service of PR, brand consultancy, digital and social, events, vip and influencer, brand partnerships and collaborations and of course, wholesale.
The culture of the agency has always remained the same, we really just want to make a huge difference to the brands that come to us and sprinkle magic all over them, and that means hiring ambitious, high energy, super connected staff that are going to make that happen. We allow people to shine so if you are amazing at what you do you can shoot up the ranks, you don’t need to stay in a cemented hierarchy only etching up the ladder every few years.
4.) Does your K&H team and showroom reflect the personality and values of the company? What would we expect walking into the office?
All the girls in the office have amazing individual styles. They all wear the brands they represent mixed with their own unique detailing. We work with a lot of Scandinavian brands so the work uniform is often understated and chic, with a dose of high fashion. I am a real flat shoe advocate but the girls all love rocking a heel, whether that be a spiked heel or a block.
Charlie wears Sophie Lis Lightning Bolt collection jewellery with dress by Baum und Pferdgarten and velvet Gucci loafers
5.) Describe your personal work style. What are your fave, couldn't live without fashion staples?
Personally I love a casual look with a manicured edge. I think if your hair is highlighted to perfection and your make up and nails are on point then a casual outfit looks awesome. I love wearing a Baum und Pferdgarten oversized knit or a Zoe Karsson white tee with black skinnies, a Gucci belt and Saint Laurent trainers. In winter I love my Chloe boots.
6.) Congratulations on the birth of your gorgeous baby boy Orlando Grey. Do you feel like your off duty style has changed much becoming a mother?
My style changed a lot when I got pregnant. I basically just lived in activewear and have never been more grateful for a trend ever! My go to brands are Lucas Hugh and Varley. I was gifted some Lucas Hugh leggings from Anjhe the owner when she found out I was pregnant. She had just had a baby and said trust me these are a saviour, and oh was she right. They sucked me in in all the right places and sat right under the bump so were super comfy. Teamed with a cashmere jumper and a flat they looked fab and I wore them to meetings and nights out even when I was massive at the end. They also helped pull my stomach back in after he was born, a really hard working wardrobe staple!!
Charlie wears dress by Baum und Pferdgarten and Miu Miu shoes as before
7.) What is your favourite piece of Sophie Lis jewellery and why?
I love wearing beautiful jewellery to spruce up and outfit and of course Sophie Lis is my fave. I adore delicate drop earrings when I am in need of a bit of instant glamour and I’ve got my eye on a bespoke eternity ring as my belated push present.
Charlie wears Sophie Lis Lightning Bolt bracelet and stacks Sophie Lis Fallen Star rings.
8.) What is your favourite part of the job that comes with owning K&H?
I love my job because I am a people person and as my role at K&H has matured, my job now means meeting people all day every day, whether its a new biz meeting, a client campaign brainstorm or a story pitch to a journo friend. I love the flexibility that comes with owning my own business, I can be full on with back to back meetings one day and be at home with my babe the next. I also feel so lucky to have found a work wife in Skye. She is a business partner of dreams and has made this one hell of an amazing journey. She is extremely hard working and determined but she is also so kind hearted and absolutely hysterical. My mouth hurts from laughing every single day!
Charlie wears Pyjamas and eye mask by Radice Sleep with Sophie Lis lightning bolt necklace and bespoke pendants made to order.
9.) When you’re not in the office, where can we find you?
In my spare time you will mostly find me knocking around Notting Hill, where I live. I love the eclectic nature of the area and it definitely makes having a baby so much fun. We often go to The Electric for brunch or for walks down Portobello Road. When I’ve got a night off Casa Cruz is my fave for cocktails and seriously delicious food...and people watching of course!
10.) Click your fingers and be...
If I could be anywhere right now I’d be on a beach in Ibiza with my hubby and babe. My absolute heaven.
On this shoot Charlie wears the following Sophie Lis jewellery
