The spectacular life of Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet

Natalie Massenet created high-fashion retailer Net-a-Porter at her kitchen table in a flat in Chelsea in 2000. Now, its flagship website has six million unique visitors per month and sells 390 labels in 170 countries. The group runs hugely successful sports, menswear and discounted fashion sites too.

Massenet announced this week that she is leaving the fashion giant, shortly after confirming a merger between Net-a-Porter and Italian online fashion retailer Yoox.

The news came as a surprise to many people, both inside and out of the company, as Massenet had repeatedly made it clear that she intended to stay at Net-a-Porter for a long time. According to Bloomberg, she will leave the Net-a-Porter group with over £100 million ($153 million) following the sale of shares in her company.

During the 15 years since founding Net-a-Porter, Massenet has become a fixture of the fashion industry, and can be counted on to be in the front row of every big catwalk show in the company of countless celebs.

But money and influence aside, Massenet is described as a fun-loving friend and boss who loves her family and has an uncanny ability to recite lines from "When Harry Met Sally" from memory.