Vanessa Branson is an entrepreneur and the founder of the Marrakech Biennale. Between 1986 and 1991 she founded and ran the Vanessa Devereux Gallery on London's Portobello Road. She owns and runs Eilean Shona, an island on the west coast of Scotland, as well as the El Fenn hotel in Marrakech with her business partner Howell James. In October 2014 she was awarded the royal distinction of Officer of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite for her contributions to Moroccan arts and culture. She is a trustee of the British Moroccan Society, the Leila Alaoui Foundation, Virgin Unite and the Global Diversity Foundation.
