Entrepreneur and television personality Trinny Woodall has said artificial intelligence could become a powerful tool for women looking to advance in their careers, after pausing operations at her cosmetics company to train staff in AI skills.

Woodall temporarily halted normal activity at her Trinny London business for two days earlier this year so that around 150 employees could take part in an intensive artificial intelligence workshop, aimed at helping staff understand how emerging technologies could support both their current roles and future careers.

The training programme was delivered by Lichen AI, which introduced employees to the fundamentals of working with AI systems and how they can be integrated into everyday business processes.

Woodall said she believes leaders have a responsibility to ensure staff are prepared for the technological shifts reshaping the modern workplace.

“AI is a way women can get ahead,” she said. “It gives us knowledge at our fingertips when we need it. When you have that access to information and insight, you walk into conversations with more confidence and authority.”

The two-day programme was structured around practical exercises rather than theoretical discussion. On the first day, employees were taught how to prompt and interact with a range of leading AI tools including Gemini, Claude and Midjourney, learning how to apply them to marketing, product development, customer engagement and operational tasks.

The second day focused on experimentation and innovation. Staff were divided into 25 teams and tasked with developing AI-powered applications that could potentially enhance different areas of the business. The teams presented their ideas to senior management, with the winning group receiving a prize voucher for Selfridges.

Woodall said the initiative reflects a broader strategy to embed AI more deeply within the company’s operations as it expands internationally.

Trinny London, which reported annual turnover of around £70 million and EBITDA of approximately £4 million in 2025, has grown rapidly in recent years and opened 20 physical retail locations during 2025. The brand is now combining physical retail growth with digital innovation, including the use of predictive AI technology to personalise customer experiences.

The company has begun implementing Dynamic Yield across its online platforms, enabling website content to adapt automatically to individual users. The system analyses browsing patterns and purchasing behaviour to tailor product recommendations and marketing messages in real time.

Woodall believes this technology will help maintain customer loyalty in an industry where trends shift rapidly and brands must constantly engage consumers.

“Beauty is incredibly trend-driven,” she said. “Understanding your customer and being able to serve them the right message at the right moment is critical. AI helps us do that in a way that is far more precise.”

The company is also using AI-powered translation and localisation tools to expand into new markets without the heavy costs traditionally associated with international content production.

By automating translation workflows and adapting marketing content to local audiences, the technology allows the brand to scale its digital presence across regions including Europe, Australia and the United States.

Beyond the operational benefits, Woodall sees AI as an opportunity to address broader gender gaps in the technology sector.

Women remain underrepresented in many areas of AI development and digital leadership, yet are increasingly expected to work with AI systems in a wide range of industries. Woodall believes gaining practical experience with these tools could help women strengthen their professional confidence and competitiveness.

“There’s an opportunity here like never before,” she said. “If women learn how to use these technologies well, they can leap forward.”

The training initiative forms part of a wider effort by Woodall to support female entrepreneurship and professional development. Earlier this year she hosted a networking and mentoring event at Beaverbrook Estate, bringing together around 60 female founders and influencers for workshops on confidence building, business growth, nutrition and AI.

Woodall said she remains passionate about helping other women navigate the challenges of building businesses and careers.

“I don’t have time for any woman who doesn’t support another woman,” she said. “We have to help each other. Seeing women change how they feel about themselves is incredibly powerful.”

The former What Not to Wear presenter returned to television last year when she appeared as a guest investor on Dragons’ Den, where she jointly invested £50,000 with Deborah Meaden in sustainable cleaning brand Seep.

Although she enjoyed the experience, Woodall said she prefers mentoring entrepreneurs outside the pressure of television.

Her longer-term ambition is to establish Trinny London as the leading premium beauty brand for women over 40, a demographic she believes remains underserved in the global cosmetics industry.

“We’ve gone through a lot in life by the time we reach 40,” she said. “We know more about what we want, and what we don’t.”

By combining technology, personalisation and a focus on older consumers, Woodall believes the company is positioning itself for long-term growth in an increasingly competitive beauty market.

Jamie Young

Jamie is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, bringing over a decade of experience in UK SME business reporting.
Jamie holds a degree in Business Administration and regularly participates in industry conferences and workshops.

When not reporting on the latest business developments, Jamie is passionate about mentoring up-and-coming journalists and entrepreneurs to inspire the next generation of business leaders.

Colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among adults under age 50 in the United States, surpassing other major malignancies as overall cancer mortality in this age group continues to decline sharply, according to recent analyses from the American Cancer Society and published research.

A study released January 22, 2026, in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined U.S. cancer death trends from 1990 through 2023 for the five leading causes in people younger than 50. Researchers found that total cancer deaths in this demographic dropped 44 percent over the period, from 25.5 per 100,000 people in 1990 to 14.2 in 2023. Declines occurred in four of the top five causes — brain cancer (0.3 percent annual drop from 2014-2023), breast cancer (1.4 percent), leukemia (2.3 percent) and lung cancer (5.7 percent) — reflecting advances in prevention, early detection and treatment.

Colorectal cancer stood alone as an outlier. Mortality rose by an average of 1.1 percent annually since 2005, propelling it from the fifth-leading cause in the early 1990s to the top spot by 2023 — seven years earlier than some projections had anticipated. The disease now ranks first overall for cancer deaths under 50, second for women (behind breast cancer) and first for men.

“Overall progress against cancer in young adults has been remarkable, but colorectal cancer is moving in the wrong direction,” said Rebecca L. Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the JAMA research letter. “This confirms a real increase in underlying risk for generations born after about 1950.”

The American Cancer Society’s “Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2026” report, published in March, reinforced the trend. It projected 158,850 new colorectal cancer cases and 55,230 deaths nationwide this year, with incidence rising 3 percent annually in adults aged 20-49 and 0.4 percent in those 50-64, while falling 2.5 percent in those 65 and older. Mortality has climbed 1 percent per year since 2004 in those under 50 and since 2019 in the 50-64 group.

The shift is driven largely by tumors in the distal colon and rectum. About one in five diagnoses now occurs in people under 55, up from far lower proportions decades ago. Younger patients are more likely to present with advanced-stage disease, contributing to poorer outcomes.

Experts attribute the rise to a mix of factors, though no single cause has been pinpointed. Potential contributors include changes in diet (higher processed foods, red meat and low fiber), sedentary lifestyles, obesity, diabetes, antibiotic use altering gut microbiomes and environmental exposures. Unlike older adults, where screening has driven steep declines, many under 50 lack routine checks, delaying diagnosis until symptoms like bleeding, pain or bowel changes appear — often dismissed as benign issues in younger people.

In response, major guidelines now recommend colorectal cancer screening starting at age 45 for average-risk adults, down from 50. Options include colonoscopy every 10 years, annual fecal immunochemical tests or stool DNA tests every three years. Uptake of non-invasive stool tests has risen, helping offset pandemic-related drops in colonoscopies.

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance called the findings a wake-up call, urging greater awareness, symptom education and involvement in research initiatives like Project Cure CRC to accelerate treatments.

Despite the alarming trend in young adults, overall U.S. colorectal cancer mortality has fallen 56 percent since 1970 due to screening, reduced smoking and better therapies. Yet progress has slowed recently, with rates stable from 2020-2023 after earlier annual declines of about 2 percent.

Advocates stress that many deaths could be prevented through earlier detection. Symptoms in younger people — persistent abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, changes in bowel habits or rectal bleeding — warrant prompt medical attention, even if uncommon for the age group.

Ongoing research explores why incidence surges in post-1950 birth cohorts, with calls for more etiologic studies into modern lifestyle and environmental factors. As these generations age, the burden may grow without intervention.

Health organizations emphasize equity: screening gaps persist in underserved communities, where stool-based tests show promise for accessibility and cost.

The data highlight a paradox — broad success against cancer in young adults overshadowed by one disease’s relentless rise. Experts urge clinicians to consider colorectal cancer in symptomatic patients under 50 and public campaigns to normalize screening discussions.

With March designated Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, groups promote blue-ribbon campaigns to boost awareness and early action.

As the trend persists into 2026, the message remains clear: colorectal cancer is no longer just an older person’s disease. Vigilance, lifestyle changes and timely screening offer the best defense against what has become the top cancer killer for Americans in their prime working and family years.

A resurgence in inflation, even one that is very modest compared to what we saw during the Ukraine, war risks hitting spending, growth and pushing up unemployment further – especially so if greater price pressures derail the chances of further interest rate cuts.

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