WONDER WOMEN

Forbes 50 over 50 Forbes, in conjunction with the Know Your Value Initiative, have recently published the third annual Forbes 50 Over 50, which celebrates women over 50 who are founding brands used by millions, breaking world records and forging technological breakthroughs.  Their aim with this annual publication is to highlight how women in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond are doing their most innovative and impactful work.  What is striking is that nearly half of the 200 women in…

Read More Read More

I went to see the Barbie movie with a girlfriend I’ve known since I was 12 and between us we have 5 sons (no girls).  We never played dolls together and we were only introduced to Barbie when we were adults.  Sindy (girl next door with lots of fashionable outfits) and Tressie (who’s hair grew) were the dolls that young British girls played with in our day.  Of course, we knew lots about Barbie (who wouldn’t with Mattel’s marketing) and…

Read More Read More

Whatever the result in the semi-finals vs. Australia tomorrow, the Lionesses have had a wonderful World Cup tournament.  Sarina Wiegman is a shining beacon of brilliant leadership, creating a squad of players and coaching staff who believe in and trust each other.  It’s not just about the superstar players – it’s about everyone working together to create the magic.  The Lionesses generate an atmosphere of joy and goodwill with their skill, humour and pioneering spirit.  Every single one of the…

Read More Read More

Recently I was eavesdropping while waiting in a queue to go into a music festival.   I can’t help it – blame it on my natural curiosity developed through years of being an insight specialist – together with unavoidably hearing three blokes talking loudly about their trials and tribulations with women.  They weren’t young guys – probably 40s and 50s – and what looked like the older of the three was lamenting the ‘problems’ with his girlfriend.  This is how I…

Read More Read More

As Tupperware hit the headline news today, Giles and I thought it the perfect time to share the story of Brownie Wise – The Queen of Tupperware. Giles usually cites Brownie’s story as one of his favourites in the Wonder Women book as it’s such a good example of women succeeding in the face of prejudice.  I love it because she helped so many women towards financial independence and success. An example of how women inspire other women. In 1949…

Read More Read More

I love Desert Island Discs – I love hearing the stories of people’s success and recognition, love hearing their music choices, the book and the luxury item they would take with them.  All reveal so much about a person’s character in such an enjoyable space of time. Last week I listened to Amanda Blanc, Group CEO of Aviva, one of just eight women at the top of a FTSE 100 company.  Amidst some great music choices, she tells the story…

Read More Read More

Sadly, I heard of the death of Jacqueline Gold this morning after seven years of treatment for breast cancer.  In 1981 when Jacqueline first proposed making lingerie and sex toys more female friendly, she was taken aback by the reaction of one of the company’s all-male directors who claimed that women were not interested in sex. “Obviously it said a lot more about his sex life than it did about my idea,” she later said. Jacqueline’s story is included in…

Read More Read More

International Women’s Day acts as a bold and loud reminder to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about discrimination and to drive gender parity.  #Embrace Equity – is this year’s theme. When writing Wonder Women, Giles and I set out three objectives: To create awareness of and celebrate the women’s success To inspire others (both women and men) with the stories and thoughts of successful women and encourage the adoption of more ‘feminine’ aspects of thinking and doing To encourage all…

Read More Read More

It’s London Fashion Week this week and I read with interest The Times article which heavily featured the Burberry brand – Jodie Comer was centre stage showcasing the debut collection by the British designer Daniel Lee with a confident and colourful reworking of the Burberry DNA.  Backstage, Lee spoke of working with the brand’s archivist to dig out ‘fabrics from British mills from 100 years ago’.  There were also lots of duck patterns and when Lee was asked why, he…

Read More Read More