Katrina Allen was born in Melbourne in 1967. She grew up in Brighton in an entrepreneurial environment with a supportive loving family.

Katrina completed one of Australia’s most acclaimed graphic design courses at Swinburne University in Melbourne. Prior to finishing the course, she landed her first job with Farman Foley Gill. She then worked for several other agencies, finishing her ten years at M & C Saatchi as a senior art director and collecting some 50 industry awards along the way.

Over time, frustrated with the agency process and at not having complete creative freedom, Katrina set about her own creative projects. She has published two books, China Plate = Mate, a book of rhyming slang which was bought by the Ink Group and made into a calendar, and Twinkle Twinkle, a photographic book on animals in nursery rhymes.

Having briefly tasted creative freedom, Katrina started to look for a business opportunity of her own. She found the opportunity she was looking for in the unlikely field of feminine hygiene products. Through market research Katrina found that many women were unhappy with the bright, floral packaging and flimsy cardboard boxes that most tampon manufacturers use. So she set about developing packaging that was discreet and that would securely contain tampons in the most crowded of handbags: De jour was born.

Today, De jour is stocked in Coles, BI-LO, Priceline, Woolworths and most independent supermarkets and pharmacies. The company accounts for six per cent of the $80 million feminine hygiene category, and Katrina’s aim is to arrest at least ten per cent from the big brands.

Today, Katrina takes pleasure in being a mother of three small boys. Whilst Katrina enjoys having her own business, she loves being able to combine the joys of a loving family life.