Harriet Hastings

Founder and Managing Director of Biscuiteers
Harriet Hastings

Harriet Hastings is the Founder and Managing Director of Biscuiteers, the original luxury biscuit company offering hand-iced biscuit gifts direct to customers worldwide.

Biscuiteers also has two icing cafes in London and a thriving corporate business creating bespoke branded gifts for luxury brands including Cartier, Tiffany and Christian Dior.

Harriet founded the company in 2007 with the ambition of creating a new sector in the luxury gift market. Biscuiteers hand-ices 2.5 million biscuits a year and has 120 staff under one roof in the Ministry of Biscuits (the company HQ) in Wimbledon.

Harriet started her career in publishing and spent the next 10 years as the consumer brands director of a top 20 PR agency before leaving to start her own business after the birth of her fourth child.

She is also the managing director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the most prestigious annual book award celebrating and honouring women’s fiction.

In 2018 Harriet was awarded the Natwest Everywoman Award.

Harriet Hastings
Harriet has mentored

Nickel Support

Nickel Support works with adults with learning disabilities to run commercial enterprises.

  • Nickel Support
  • Happy Smiles Training
  • Turtle Bags
  • Stand4 Socks
  • The Zen Project

‘Harriet’s knowledge and expertise was fantastic and I learnt a lot in the time we had. She gave me some wonderful tangible ideas to help the ongoing development of the strategy within my organisation’

Nick Walsh, Founder of Nickel Support

Harriet has mentored

Happy Smiles Training

We provide interactive training workshops, focusing on many aspects of disability awareness and social inclusion.

  • Nickel Support
  • Happy Smiles Training
  • Turtle Bags
  • Stand4 Socks
  • The Zen Project

The impact from my time with Harriet was a game changer. Within a short space of time, Harriet provided invaluable advice that has opened my eyes to a new business model. Thanks Harriet!  

Alex Winstanley, Managing Director, Happy Smiles Training

Harriet has mentored

Turtle Bags

Turtle Bags campaign against marine plastics and offer sustainable and ethically sourced alternatives to the plastic bag.

  • Nickel Support
  • Happy Smiles Training
  • Turtle Bags
  • Stand4 Socks
  • The Zen Project

Harriet was really helpful. In our discussion she was quickly able to shine a light on the strengths and weaknesses of Turtle Bags and allowed me to visualise positive next steps for the company.  

Beth Williams, Managing Director, Turtle Bags

Harriet has mentored

Stand4 Socks

We produce and sell ethically made socks to consumers and businesses, creating connections, while also donating pairs to the homeless.

  • Nickel Support
  • Happy Smiles Training
  • Turtle Bags
  • Stand4 Socks
  • The Zen Project

Harriet was simply incredible. Straight to the point and gave practical advice and feedback. She was open about her own experience and gave useful observational guidance. Harriet and her organisations are a huge inspiration to me – so having one on one time with her was phenomenal.  

Josh Turner, Founder, Stand4 Socks

Harriet has mentored

The Zen Project

The Zen Project is a mobile converted American school bus offering 11 minute micro Zen Sessions, from breathwork to guided meditations.

  • Nickel Support
  • Happy Smiles Training
  • Turtle Bags
  • Stand4 Socks
  • The Zen Project

Harriet shared some extremely helpful insights to help our social enterprise. We learnt a lot in the time that we had and left the mentoring session with some great ideas to take away and implement to grow our business. Harriet has helped us see things in a slightly different way and has left us feeling very optimistic for the future of our social enterprise!

Corrine Gardner, Co-Founder, The Zen Project

Want to meet with Harriet?