Louise Brown – Telling the Story Behind the World's First IVF Baby

As the world’s first IVF baby Louise Brown is the most famous name in the fertility industry. She was known as “the test tube baby” becoming a household name in every country of the world from the day she was born. The fact that she was healthy and “ordinary” enabled IVF to flourish. Fortune Business Insights predicts the Global IVF market will be worth $36 Billion by 2036. One in six babies are now born through assisted reproduction of some kind.

Our relationship

Throughout her life Louise has had constant media attention and on the death of her father, John Brown, in 2006, she engaged Martin Powell and Empica to deal with the media enquiries and a growing number of requests from the IVF industry for information; personal appearances; speeches etc. for both her and her mother, Lesley Brown.

Lesley sadly died in 2012. In 2013 IVF pioneer and Nobel Laureatte Bob Edwards died and Louise attended the funeral with Empica Agency Head, Martin Powell. Since then, Louise has become a major focus of those interested in the history of IVF and her unique link to its origins and the pioneers Bob Edwards and Patrick Steptoe continues to excite interest worldwide.

In 2015, along with Martin Powell, her biography was published in hardback. It was later re-purposed in paperback to mark her 40^th birthday and renamed “40 Years of IVF”. The book has sold worldwide with a special edition in Mandarin Chinese for the Chinese Society of Reproductive Medicine and in 2025 a special edition for the Mexiocan Society of Reproductive Medicine.

What We have done

Empica handles all enquiries for Louise and has helped her take up more opportunities to support IVF events worldwide, developing the messaging and content of her speeches and presentations to reflect the constant changes in fertility treatment from ICSI, through egg freezing, surrogacy, embryo screening and technology such as AI.

This has included organising and attending conferences and personal appearances on four continents. Countries visited include Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Japan, USA, Egypt, Morocco, Croatia, Mexico and most of Europe. It has included conference appearances at ASRM and ESHRE and international media relations.

Louise  is also constantly in demand from regulators, lawmakers and governments involved in Assisted Reproductive Technology as an evolving science, receiving requests for personal appearances, speeches etc. She has participated in a debate in the European Parliament; spoken to government ministers in Bulgaria as part of an initiative to secure funding for IVF by Iskam Bebe and been a speaker at a conference of the HFEA, the UK regulator, alongside the responsible government minister within the Palace of Westminster and in 2025 alongside campaigners and lobbyists talking to Government ministers in Greece and Romania.

Empica manages Louise’s role as Ambassador for IVF organisations, including the world’s first IVF clinic Bourn Hall in Cambridgeshire. Most recently this has included being a global ambassador for the More Joy Campaign of the International Federation of Fertility Societies, campaigning to raise awareness of the critical low birth rate in many countries around the world.

Empica develops, every campaign, prepares Louise for the events and manages travel and logistics across the world.

Growing interest in Louise’s story led to the production of a stage play A Child of Science about her birth starring Harry Potter actor Tom Felton and the Netflix film “Joy” written by award-winning screenwriters Jack Thorne and Rachel Mason and starring Bill Nighy. Empica has handled the relationship between Louise and the drama-makers as well as the media interest, premier red carpet appearances and television appearances associated with them. The success of the film “Joy” has increased demand for Louise worldwide.

Documentary makers and podcast producers covering aspects of IVF around the world constantly want contributions from Louise, with Empica negotiating which are appropriate for her and ensuring the messaging is accurate and reflects the legacy of the pioneers of IVF positively.

Impact

Louise Brown has made countless international television appearances under the stewardship of Empica and been broadcast on radio stations worldwide and been the subject of articles in magazines and newspapers throughout the world. She has opened IVF clinics, met those seeking fertility treatment and many of the now 15 million people born through IVF since her arrival in the world. Her advocacy and public engagement, guided by Empica, has helped educate millions of people about fertility issues.

“I always feel safe wherever I am in the world with Empica as I know the attention to detail they pay to arrangements. Martin Powell supports me in keeping the telling of my story fresh whenever I tell it and it is a privilege to be a figure head of an amazing worldwide fertility family”. - Louise Brown