Who We Are

IWF UK is one of the largest and longest established forums of the global IWF organisation. Founded in 1989, it is a unique network of women of achievement across all areas, from science and technology to the arts, business, charities, education, government, healthcare and media. Membership is by invitation.

The International Women's Forum UK champions equality and racial equity and believes that leadership transcends gender and race. We work to inspire, enable and equip the current and next generation of leaders to transform the world and believe that change must not rest on the shoulders of those who are already marginalized.

Recent events have underlined the role we all must play in addressing systemic inequity and highlight the importance of personal, community and organisational action.

We are committed to contributing to meaningful change by increasing our understanding, our knowledge, our own organisation’s diversity and through our members’ support and actions to champion equity and inclusion.

We advance women’s leadership through:

  • Conversations with top women speakers at our high-quality events, sharing their professional and personal experiences
  • Publishing our members’ leadership stories and Thought Leadership articles
  • Connecting through the global IWF network with over 8,000 accomplished women leaders in 35 countries
  • Collaborating with initiatives such as One Loud Voice and Cranfield’s Female FTSE Report, on gender equality and women on boards
  • Supporting next-generation women leaders via special events, and IWF’s global Fellows Program, featured in Forbes Sept 2019
  • Showcasing women leaders on our social media @IWFUKwomen #IWFLeadsChange
  • Providing each other with support, advice and connections

The roll call of members past and present includes many women who have been honoured for their pioneering work. Baroness Denton, celebrated rally driver and the first woman Minister for Northern Ireland, was a co-founder and our first Chair. Renowned journalist Katharine Whitehorn CBE was another co-founder, as was Barbara Hosking CBE, speechwriter to Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

Among our current members are:

  • Dame Inga Beale DBE, Role model for inclusion in the workplace, Independent Non-Executive Director of several boards, former CEO Lloyd’s
  • Lynne Berry CBE, Chair, Human Tissue Authority and Sustrans
  • Dame Neslyn Watson-Druée CBE, Executive Coach, Leadership Development Consultant and Professional International Public Speaker
  • Tamara Box, Managing Partner Europe & Middle East, Reed Smith LLP
  • Professor Laura Serrant OBE, Leadership Development and Inclusive Practice Specialist, published author, poet and one of the top 100 most influential Black people in the UK
  • Shirley Cooper OBE, Independent Director Cabinet Office, Trustee and Treasurer UNWomen UK, Chair Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Fellows, and Commercial Board Advisor
  • Dr Caroline Campbell, Director of Collections and Research, The National Gallery
  • Janet Cooper OBE, Trustee, RNLI and Co-founder and Vice Chair Emeritus, Global Equity Organization
  • Kate Grussing CBE, Search Firm Founder and Entrepreneur, Non-Executive Director and Advisory Board Member
  • Professor Cynthia Pine CBE, Dental Public Health, Queen Mary University of London, and Visiting Scholar Queen’s University, Belfast
  • Marty Wikstrom, Board Director, Fortnum & Mason, Johnstons of Elgin, The World Wide Web Foundation

IWF UK members have access to the members of all forums within the IWF global network, which comprises more than 8,000 dynamic women leaders in 35 countries. We promote the international agenda and benefits of the broader membership of IWF through participation in the IWF programme, including two major global conferences each year, one in North America and one elsewhere in the world.