Susie Ma, founder of Tropic Skincare, awarded herself a £20 million dividend in 2025—more than ex-Cabinet minister’s annual pay by a factor of 50. Her business, built from scratch, now turns over £68 million a year. But as the beauty mogul enters political conversations around green jobs and social mobility, critics are asking: Should government favour entrepreneurs like Susie Ma or impose stricter rules on executive pay?
Susie Ma’s Tropic Skincare Profits Ignite Fresh Debate
Susie Ma’s record £20 million dividend landed just as Westminster prepared new debates on business taxation and sustainable growth. The 36-year-old Chinese-British entrepreneur, who bought back Alan Sugar’s stake in Tropic Skincare in 2023, has made Tropic one of Britain’s fastest-expanding brands. Now sole owner, Ma employs over 300 at her Surrey HQ, with more than 20,000 self-employed ambassadors promoting ethical products nationwide. Her profile is growing among all parties for her green agenda, social giving, and grassroots business style. However, as Ma’s Skincare empire disrupts traditional retail power and profits soar, Labour and Conservative MPs alike spar over whether such business models should get more public backing or face tougher regulatory scrutiny.
A New Kind of Green Capitalist?
Susie Ma’s story matters for UK democracy and voters seeking practical results, not hollow slogans. Her business employs thousands indirectly through a vast ambassador model and claims to donate 10% of profits to charity. She publicly backs women’s economic empowerment, social mobility, and climate initiatives.
Did You Know?
Susie Ma regained full ownership of Tropic in 2023 by buying out Lord Sugar, making her the only “Apprentice” candidate ever to achieve this.
In the run-up to the next general election, both major parties cite Ma as proof that British entrepreneurship and green jobs can thrive under fair rules. Her critics query whether direct selling replaces traditional jobs with precarious “gig economy” work. Party manifestos reference her success as a path to a new, fairer, greener economy.
Ma is not a party member, but her high-profile business lobbying—seen at Conservative and Labour conferences alike—makes her central to debates over business rates, corporate taxation, and the direction of post-Brexit UK capitalism. Whether the state should do more to support self-made women like Ma (especially from minority backgrounds) is a live policy question.
From Market Stall to Political Spotlight
Born in Shanghai in 1989, Susie Ma moved to Cairns before settling in London. At 15, to support her mother, she launched her first product—a homemade body scrub—on Greenwich Market stalls. After studying Philosophy and Economics at UCL, she entered BBC’s “The Apprentice,” coming in third but winning Lord Sugar’s investment (£200,000 for 50%).
In 2012, Ma and Lord Sugar built Tropic as an award-winning, ethically-focused business. By 2020, it was one of the UK’s fastest-growing brands, celebrated in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 and Top 40 Under 40. In 2021, sales reached £90.6m; by 2024, turnover was £68m and pre-tax profit £8.7m. In 2023, she bought back full control of Tropic—an unprecedented move for an Apprentice finalist.
Did You Know?
The Tropic Ambassador programme now includes over 20,000 independent women, earning commissions and training nationwide, lauded by social mobility campaigners.
Tropic’s high-profile charity work includes building schools in Nepal and Cambodia and funding education for millions of children. In 2025, Ma’s efforts supporting women through the King’s Trust and Big Change earned her J.P. Morgan and EY accolades.
Social Purpose Meets Business Ambition
Susie Ma’s public policy focus is not typical left or right. She is a proponent of “Infinite Purpose”—her concept for circular, sustainable business and empowered entrepreneurship. She backs charity partnerships and frequently calls for government incentives to boost green start-ups and female founders.
Ma has been critical of high-street banks’ lack of support for SMEs, publicly calling for tax breaks on ethical business models and transparency on executive pay. In a 2025 podcast, she stated, “It’s vital we build an economy where you don’t scale by stepping over people, but by raising them up.”
She has also called for cross-party collaboration on climate issues and supports the idea of using more of the business tax base for local green skills funding. She opposes zero-hour contracts but supports flexible independent work when chosen voluntarily.
Ma’s Potential Electoral Impact
Policy consultant Adam Drummond says, “Susie Ma is no ideologue, but her messaging lands with younger, more diverse voters interested in ethics, climate, and entrepreneurship. She’s the candidate every party wishes was theirs.”
Conservative commentator Louise Perry, writing in The Telegraph, notes: “Ma embodies both Thatcherite self-reliance and Blairite social mobility. If she runs, she could destabilise marginal constituencies especially in metropolitan areas.”
Labour peer Baroness Chakrabarti offered a counterpoint: “While Ma’s charity work is exemplary, government cannot rely on the kindness of millionaires for structural change. That said, her advocacy keeps the focus on inclusion.”
One Sun poll shows 41% of 18–34s see Ma as “an example of the right values in business.” However, critics have warned that Tropic’s sales model may lead to unstable incomes, calling for more robust employment protections in the sector.
Voters Weigh New-Style Capitalism
Recent YouGov polling (August 2025) shows 49% public approval for Susie Ma’s ethos of “business for good,” rising to 57% among women and 60% of minority voters. Her net approval is +27 among those earning under £30k. 35% of existing business owners cite Ma as a “role model” or source of advice.
Conversely, focus groups in the Midlands suggest scepticism around whether ambassador sales are secure jobs or just a stopgap. 28% of respondents in these groups wanted tighter regulation of direct selling, but only 13% believed the industry should be “restricted.”
Online debates are sharply divided. The hashtag #TeamSusie trended after her latest Hebden Bridge speech on women in business, while #TooRich trended in reaction to the £20m payout, showing how Ma symbolises both hope and corporate suspicion.
From Boardroom to Parliament?
With political parties jostling for endorsements, Susie Ma’s next moves matter to headline writers and backbenchers alike. She remains publicly non-partisan but continues to attend All-Parliamentary Groups on female entrepreneurship and climate job creation.
Allies urge her to stand as an independent for Croydon South—or accept a Lords seat. Critics suggest scrutiny of direct-selling models will only intensify. What’s certain: her CEO activism and relentless media strategy means Susie Ma will shape the next decade’s debates over how business serves voters as well as consumers.
FAQ Section
Q: How much did Susie Ma pay herself in 2025?
A: She paid herself £20 million in dividends following record Tropic Skincare profits, sparking debate on executive pay and entrepreneurship.
Q: What are her political donations or affiliations?
A: Susie Ma has no party membership and no record of major donations, but actively lobbies for green SME incentives in Parliament.
Q: What is her business’s employment model?
A: Tropic Skincare uses a direct-selling “ambassador” model, with over 20,000 independent sellers and 300-staff Surrey HQ.
Q: What policies does she advocate for?
A: Ma supports green entrepreneurship, increased SME tax breaks, social mobility, and publicly opposes zero-hour contracts while backing voluntary flexible work.
Q: Will she stand for office?
A: Ma currently holds no public office but is seen as a likely future independent or peer given her national profile.
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