8th March 2019

Spanning across design, literature, performance, mathematics, music and business, the women featured have truly played a part in shaping the world we live in today.

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Jessica Walsh
Designer, Art Director, Partner – Sagmeister & Walsh

Chosen by Matt Hurley, Creative Director, Silver
Jessica is a creative powerhouse, paving the way for women in the creative industry.
She was designing and coding websites by the age of 12. She graduated and turned down a six-figure salary at Apple to intern at Pentagram; quickly developing her own style by blending digital with handcrafted elements to create adventurous experimental work.
At 24, she approached designer Stefan Sagmeister at his own agency, Sagmeister Inc. and was offered a job within five minutes. Two years on, she was made a partner alongside Stefan – what a journey!
I’m in awe of Jessica’s passion for giving back to the creative industry. She has experienced setbacks in her career but had the resilience to overcome them, and is now helping others to face their own challenges head-on.
By founding ‘Ladies, Wine and Design’, Jessica is empowering more women in creative roles; enabling them to have a voice in the hope that we will see more women holding senior leadership roles in the creative industry.

“Work your ass off: be persistent: stay curious: challenge yourself: and most importantly, have a lot of fun. If you have fun and enjoy your work, other people will pick up on that and they’ll enjoy it, too.”

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J.K. Rowling
Novelist, Philanthropist, Film Producer

Chosen by Ben Welsby, Web Developer, Silver
Rowling’s journey saw her rise from being a single mother of three living on benefits, to the ninth-best-selling fiction author of all time.
A woman who suffered multiple rejections before finally getting a break and securing a print run of 1,000 copies for her first book – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The rest, as they say, is history.
While only aged 32 when the first Harry Potter book was published, her continued persistence, patience and creativity lead her to the top of her field despite numerous rejections during her twenties, and her story is an example to us all, showing that patience and hard work eventually pays off.

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

Expelliarmus!

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Kate Tempest
Poet, Performer, Recording Artist, Novelist, Playwright

Chosen by Sophie Marshall, Account Director, Silver

I was lucky enough to meet Kate and watch an intimate performance of her album ‘Let Them Eat Chaos’ back in 2016. She blew me away with the conviction in her words, the truth behind them and the passion with which she performed.

She writes from the heart about her life, love, politics and the indictment of modern day life; hitting the nail on the head with a brutality that you can’t possibly ignore.

She is bold and brave but gentle and fragile, and I never miss an opportunity to see her perform. If you haven’t heard of her, seek her out. If you’ve never listened to her or read her work, I urge you to. She has brought poetry and spoken word to the fore unlike anything else in the mainstream – you only need to watch her performance from Glastonbury 2015, reciting her poem ‘Hold Your Own’, to understand her power as a wordsmith and a performer. She never fails to move me, and that right there is why she inspires me.

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Ada Lovelace
Mathematician, Writer

 Chosen by George Smith, Motion Designer, Silver

 Ada Lovelace was the first recorded earthling to realise that machines had purpose beyond pure calculation. She created the first algorithm and is regarded as the first computer programmer.

It fascinates me that she was the instigator of the 3rd revolution before the world was even finished with the 1st Industrial revolution!

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Alison Mosshart
Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Lead Vocalist for The Kills and The Dead Weather

 Chosen by Alice Eaglestone, Creative Designer, Silver

Alison is a woman that dominates in a predominately male creative field. Her confidence and ease at doing what she does best just puts me in awe. Plus, she is definitely the reason I have bleached my hair multiple times.

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Dame Anita Roddick
Founder of The Body Shop, Philanthropist, Entrepreneur

 Chosen by Alison Masters, CEO, Silver

Growing up, Anita inspired me greatly with her trailblazing approach to challenge business norms. She was a working parent and passionate leader – fearless with her ethics and principal-driven approach.

Starting from a tiny shop in Brighton, she built a global company and one of the most iconic and successful British brands. Her core beliefs, that her products should not be tested on animals and ethically sourced from ground-level growers, came way before the fair-trade movement that exists today. Her original shop founded in 1976 had products sold in refillable containers and encouraged recycling, focusing on many of the issues we face today.

Sadly, Anita died in 2007 aged 64. She was a true pioneer and one of the most innovative and influential British business leaders of all time.