Name: Charmain Manning
Position: CEO
Company: Urban
Website: https://urban.co/en-gb
About Charmain Manning and Urban
Founded in 2014, Urban is the UK’s leading wellness delivery app. It’s the easy way to book spa and clinic treatments to your home, delivered by trusted professionals.
Our mission is to bring a human touch to city life – literally, with treatments like massage – but also in the way we do business, ensuring fair compensation for therapists with rates that are higher than industry averages.
From one living room to millions
Urban was founded by two friends, Jack Tang and Giles Williams, who came up with the idea while flat-sharing in their early 20s. They wondered: what if it was as easy to access the things that make you feel well, as it was to order food, book train tickets or hail a taxi? And what if the people responsible for providing that service could earn more than in a spa?
The potential to disrupt a billion pound industry while making life better for everyone involved was irresistible to the founders’ entrepreneurial spirit. Soon, Urban was born.
Since then, Urban has rapidly expanded its operations to major cities across the UK and Europe, including London, Paris, Manchester, and Birmingham. We’re proud of our achievements so far – 1.3 million treatments delivered, over 500,000 five-star reviews and an average rating of 4.9.
Charmain Manning’s leadership
Charmain Manning, with a background in finance and consulting through notable positions at Pearson, and the Financial Times, joined Urban as Chief Financial Officer in July 2020. Her extensive commercial expertise and strategic acumen propelled her to the role of CEO in April 2023, following her instrumental guidance of the company through the Covid pandemic. Under Charmain’s leadership, Urban continues to evolve, empowering therapists and driving convenience for customers while maintaining its position as an industry leader.
Plans for growth
Now that Urban has consolidated its reputation for mobile massage, beauty and physical therapy, our sights are set on expanding geographically and further diversifying our treatment offering.
Soon, users across the UK will be able to discover Urban in new settings, giving them even more flexibility over when and where they get their self-care fix.
We’re embracing advances in technology to take our mobile beauty offering to the next level. Treatments that were once considered salon-only will soon be a reality at home.
We can’t achieve our vision without continuing to invest in a platform – and a community – that empowers talented professionals to thrive. To that end, we’re working closely with Urban pros to develop new features that give them maximum control over their businesses, while pushing standards ever higher with training opportunities.
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