Chrissie Masters
East Grinstead ,West Sussex
Summary
Co-managing director of a design gallery for 23 years, specializing in Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, 20th-century design, and luxury goods. Graduated from Founder Institute in July 2025 as a technical entrepreneur, developing an AI-native solution for authenticating and valuing tangible assets. Wide experience as a national newspaper and magazine editor and author of six books, focusing on health, lifestyle, and fashion at Marie Claire, Hello!, Cosmopolitan and The Times. Co-founded a communications agency that secured £100,000 for a mass-participation event, raising over £1 million for charity, and co-produced a television special in Los Angeles.
Overview
1
1
Certification
41
41
years of professional experience
Work History
Founder
Palladium Vaults x Heiress
Edenbridge, Kent
09.2025 - Current
Developing a frontier AI-native SaaS platform for valuing antiques and luxury goods with a UK technical team. Creating data infrastructure for insurance, wealth management, probate and auction stakeholders.
Unlocked 40,000,000 GBP of Asian artefacts from an inherited collection.
Co-Managing Director and Founder
The Design Gallery
Edenbridge, Kent
09.2002 - Current
- High street gallery owner (17 years), showroom and warehouse (5 years) sourcing, valuing and selling to 3000 legacy clients
- Adjudicating the Miller's Antiques Price Guides (decorative arts) for two editions and writer of Art Deco chapters for book '20th Century Design'
- Staging multiple exhibitions, attended by museum curators, interior designers; standing at fairs; marketing activities across multiple channels
Editor and Author
Hello!, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, The Times
London, England
06.1985 - 06.2008
Health and Beauty Director of Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and Hello! Author of six wellbeing books in association with Boots, Marks & Spencer, L'Occitane. Presenter of multiple television and radio broadcasts. Trained at The Times and The Daily Express in fashion reporting and styling. Commissioning, writing and editing copy and images from a broad range of contributors. Visualisation of storytelling, art directing with world-class photographers. News features reporter (health) at Daily Express, London. Developed content to produce multiple publications and to expand income streams with strategic partnerships including Estée Lauder, Clarins, Elizabeth Arden, Lancôme, Dior.
Co-Producer
Image Wizard Television and Public Relations
Los Angeles and Oxted , Surrey
03.1992 - 05.2002
Co-Producer for a Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Television Special in Los Angeles. Personally secured £100, 000 sponsorship for a mass-participation event that raised over £1 million for charity. Arranged and managed large-scale press photocalls and interviews with celebrity participants. Represented international brands and high net worth clients. Media analysis and monitoring. High-level decisions regarding policies, operational procedures and financial management.
Education
Leadership and Entrepreneurship
Founder Institute
London2025
Help to Grow Business Management - SME Change Management and Growth
University of Brighton School of Economics
Brighton01-2023
RHS Level II - Practical Horticulture
Plumpton College
Lewes01-2019
Diploma - Digital Photography and Editing
Crawley College
Crawley01-2018
Digital Technologies
Online Courses
Accomplishments
- Sourcing, valuing and selling £4M + of antiques and 20th century design in retail gallery.
- Technical founder + CEO working with frontier technologists
- Editor and National Newspaper/Magazine Writer producing highly-detailed copy to daily deadlines
- Adept at rewriting technical papers for lay audiences; interviewing experts to bring their stories to life through design, print and videography
- Broadcast story-telling: trained in photography and digital photo editing
- Networking: friendly, naturally inquisitive and personable. Widely connected to industry influencers. Public Relations agency co-founder
- Highly innovative, motivated and collaborative. Team player
- Management training at the University of Brighton School of Business and Economics. Tech savvy using Perplexity, Gamma, Trello, Google Analytics, Wordpress, Photoshop Elements, Pixlr, Canva, InDesign etc.
Affiliations
- Alumni Founder Institute (Silicon Valley-London) 2025
- Alumni Help to Grow at University of Brighton School of Business and Economics
- Alumni Sotheby's Institute of Art (part-time courses)
- Alumni Plumpton College of Agriculture (RHS Level 2)
Certification
- Founder Institute world's largest pre-seed accelerator 2025
- University of Brighton Help to Grow 2023
- Royal Horticultural Society: Practical Horticulture Level 2
- Plumpton College Garden Design Levels 1, 2 and 3
CONTACT
CHRISSIE MASTERS
Mobile: 07974322858 Home: 01342 312845
chrissie@thedesigngallery.com
www.thedesigngallery.com
www.palladiumvaults.com (platform in development)
Home address: The Hollies, Pine Grove, Felbridge, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 2BB
3000 sq.ft. Showroom: 1b Starborough Farm Business Park, Starborough Road, Marsh Green, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 5RB
Timeline
Founder
Palladium Vaults x Heiress
09.2025 - Current
Co-Managing Director and Founder
The Design Gallery
09.2002 - Current
Co-Producer
Image Wizard Television and Public Relations
03.1992 - 05.2002
Editor and Author
Hello!, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, The Times
06.1985 - 06.2008
Diploma - Digital Photography and Editing
Crawley College
RHS Level II - Practical Horticulture
Plumpton College
Help to Grow Business Management - SME Change Management and Growth
University of Brighton School of Economics
Leadership and Entrepreneurship
Founder Institute
Digital Technologies
Online Courses