As International Women's Day rolls around on March 8, we've chatted with local businesswomen and amongst our team to decide who are the biggest female influences in our lives.
Including nominations from the lovely Clare from Lostbox and our Thrive ladies, it's fascinating to see the diverse inspiration us ladies get from other women.
Without a doubt, this is the biggest shout for girl power, you've heard in a while...!
Women That Have Inspired Us
Audrey Hepburn
Nominated by: Caitlin Sharkey, Social Media Executive at Thrive Marketing Limited
Caitlin says...
"On top of being incredibly talented, Audrey Hepburn was graceful, poised, selfless and charming. I completely fell in love with her while watching her in the iconic Breakfast at Tiffany's a long time ago, but since then I've read a lot about her life and watched her in other movie roles. The more I learn about her as a person, rather than as her movie roles, the more she has become inspiring to me.
"I hope to mature into a woman who possesses those same amazing qualities that Audrey had."
Audrey was...
A British actress whose career as a film and fashion icon was active during Hollywood's "Golden Age". Born in Belgium in 1929, Audrey's career began at aged 22, after spending her childhood across Brussels, England, Belgium and the Netherlands. She was the first actress to win an Academy Award (for her leading role in Roman Holiday) and is often described as the most naturally beautiful woman of all time. Her style remains in timeless, won a record three BAFTA Awards for Best British Actress in a Leading Role and was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third greatest female screen legend in the history of American cinema.
Her later years were devoted to UNICEF, for which she became a Goodwill Ambassador in 1992. She died of appendiceal cancer at home in January 1993, aged 63. Audrey's legacy lives on through her two children who have established Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund to continue Hepburn's humanitarian work in 1994.
Jacqueline Gold
Nominated by: Clare Owen, Founder at Lostbox
Clare says...
"I first discovered Jacqueline through her fantastic #WOW competition on Twitter, which Lostbox won in December 2013. When I was then invited to meet her at The Ivy, in London, I was overawed by her genuine interest in me, my business and that of other #WOW winners.
"Since then, I've been to Ann Summers HQ and received a number of one-to-one sessions with Jacqueline, as well as having full access to her Ann Summers team and their expertise. Jacqueline has regularly kept in touch with the Lostbox story and has done more than her fair share in providing us with networking opportunities and otherwise.
"The most inspiring part of it all, personally, has been learning her story in her autobiography, Please Let It Stop. She has achieved so much and beaten stigma and resistance tenfold. I cannot thank her enough for everything."
Jacqueline is...
The 16th richest woman in the UK as CEO of Ann Summers and Knickerbox.
Ann Summers was once her father's business - David Gold (Chairman at West Ham United FC amongst other things) - and she seen an opportunity to improve on the business model. Jacqueline started from the bottom up, as a work experience placement earning less than the tea lady, when she eventually came across the concept of party plan - ultimately what Ann Summers parties are today.
She rose through the business and made Ann Summers a nationwide recognised high street brand as well as heading #WOW on Twitter. The Twitter campaign encourages female businesswomen to shout about their business and be rewarded for their efforts with 1-2-1 mentoring opportunities from Jacqueline herself.
Jennifer Aniston
Nominated by: Sarah Burns, Inbound Marketing Manager at Thrive Marketing Limited
Sarah says...
"It should be said that I don't have a role model as such. I could have easily stated Drew Barrymore (followed her closely), JK Rowling (I loved Harry Potter books as a child) or even Cheryl Cole (a local girl) as my role model, but Jennifer Aniston is a woman I've long been a fan of.
"From the age of seven - a bit too young for Friends perhaps - I adored Rachel Green. She was sassy, fashionable and funny. When I got a bit older and realised Rachel Green isn't real, I learnt a lot about Jennifer Aniston - of course I was Team Jennifer in the Brad Pitt love triangle. Now that I'm in my twenties I respect a lot of what she says about women, marriage and the pressure to have children.
"She may not be a role model, per se, but she has been a part of my life for 15 years, in some way or another."
Jennifer is...
American actress Jennifer Aniston became a household name as Rachel Green in US sitcom Friends. The role lasted as long as the show, from 1994 - 2004 and she won many awards for her portrayal as ditsy, lovable, fashionable Rachel, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe Award.
She followed up Friends with a successful period in romcoms including The Break Up, Bruce Almighty, Horrible Bosses and Along Came Polly.
Arguably, she is equally known for her love life as she is her career, with the majority of press coverage focusing on ex-husband Brad Pitt and his current wife Angelina Jolie. Their "love triangle" meant the public were divided into Team Jolie and Team Aniston.
At 46-years-old she is now spending time focusing on more diverse film roles, including the recent Cake, which could be career redefining for her. She also actively speaks up about women and the portrayal of her own personal life in the media.
Kim Kardashian West
Nominated by: Briany Hodgson, Social Media Executive at Thrive Marketing Limited
Briany says...
"She has become such a powerful and successful businesswoman, becoming an inspirational mother and wife as well as a model and TV personality. She has turned her life around since the early days and has put her stamp on the world.
"I was probably around 14 when I first learnt of her and since then she's made me realise that it doesn't matter what people think about you as long as you're happy yourself. She has dealt with so much negative publicity and still come through it and reinvented her brand multiple times.
"She has also motivated me to look after my figure and I'd LOVE to live the lifestyle that she has."
Kim is...
American TV and social media personality Kim Kardashian West is also known for being a model and actress. With her famous father (OJ Simpson's attorney, Robert Kardashian) and step father (Olympic champion Bruce Jenner), you could say she was destined for fame.
Her first media attention came through close friend, Paris Hilton, and then through her sex tape leak in 2007. Since then, she's turned it around and has become the highest paid reality TV personality, owns a clothing line with her sisters, has her own perfumes and stars in multiple spin-off TV series' with her family.
Since 2014 she has been married to US rapper, Kanye West and has since become a mother to daughter, North. Over the years she has fended off a lot of negative publicity, particularly surrounding her sex tape, weight gains and her disputed "fame", she has reinvented herself recently.
Perhaps most notably, she has had huge success with her 2014 mobile game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, which earned $1.6m in its first five days of release alone.
What is International Women's Day?
Celebrate #IWD2015 with us on Twitter on Sunday 8, March. Plus, don't forget to check out the official campaign website.
This year's campaign is revolving around "#MakeItHappen", celebrating women's achievements and calling for greater equality.
Use the following hashtags to get involved in the conversation on social media:
- #MakeItHappen
- #womensday
- #IWD2015
- #internationalwomensday
- #PaintItPurple
IWD uses the colour purple for their campaigns to symbolise the plight of the Suffragettes, with the colour signalling justice and dignity, two very important factors in women's equality.
The day was first observed in the early 1900's, with 15,000 women walking in solidarity through New York City in 1908, demanding shorter work hours, better pay and voting rights.
The future for IWD is clear, when reading the official website:
"With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men."
