In June of this year, the South African Hair Industry lost one of its most respected and dynamic icons. Ursula Brett was one of the industry’s best known and best loved personalities. Her death came as a huge shock to us. We will miss her amazing, positive attitude, her strong and focused business leadership and creative ideas, and her wonderful smiles and humour.
Stav Dimitriadis, C.E.O. of Twincare International in SA, has written a tribute to Ursula:
Ursh was the first person I met when I walked into Twincare for my interview 30 years ago.
She wore a crisp black suit with ice blond spiked hair that was so fashionable in the late 80s.
She was friendly and formal but immediately made me feel comfortable while I nervously waited for my interview. Over the years I obviously got to know her extremely well as she worked for Twincare from 1990 to 2010 and again from 2015 to 2017.
If I think back on our time together what stands out the most, is the laughter. Ursula, myself and Darrel Watt spent more time laughing than working. Ursula was easy to spend time with. Her sense of humor and infectious laugh made every conversation entertaining and she always had a group around her, listening to her latest gossip.
But there was a lot more to her than fun. With 40 years in the industry, she developed an intuitive feel for what made brands and salons tick. She was a key member of my team that helped me build both Redken and Paul Mitchell, as well as being the efficient organizer for our best events including Hair Stylist of the Year.
Her organizational and marketing skills, and eye for detail made the biggest events look easy. In her last years she used her experience to build her own business by helping salons grow theirs.
Ursula made a difference and became an icon in our industry.
But Ursula also had a private life, as a single mother she worked hard to bring up 2 beautiful children during some very difficult times.
We all leave a legacy behind but having the respect of your peers and the love of your children makes for a worthwhile life.
Ursh, looking forward to sharing a laugh on the other side.
Stav Dimitriadis
