Our Impact

Photo courtesy of Alabastro Photography

  • "I have received support, encouragement & friendship. The willingness to help each other & share opportunities has exceeded my expectations."

  • "IWF UK for me has always been a safe space to seek development and guidance and that has been a positive factor in my performance as a leader."

  • “My attendance at the Global Conferences and involvement in the IWF Global Board has expanded my leadership horizons and development my thought leadership skills.”

  • “IWF UK has always been a safe space to seek development and guidance and that has been a positive factor in my performance as a leader.”

IWF UK amplifies the influence of women leaders by fostering deep, trusted connections, accelerating personal and professional growth, and championing equity at the highest levels of leadership.

We create a space where women lead boldly, support generously, and lift others as they rise. Our members don’t just shape their own organisations; they shape industries, public life, and society itself.

Championing Bold, Inclusive Leadership

From founders to Fellows, our impact is seen in the extraordinary achievements of our members past and present. Co-founder Baroness Jean Denton was a celebrated rally driver and the first woman to serve as Minister for Northern Ireland. Katharine Whitehorn CBE, pioneering journalist, and Barbara Hosking CBE, speechwriter to Prime Minister Harold Wilson, were fellow visionaries who helped establish IWF UK as a force for change.

With nearly 250 remarkable women shaping industries, influencing policy, and driving change, IWF UK continues a proud legacy of diversity in leadership. Here is a glimpse of members who embody the spirit and strength of our community:

  • Dame Inga Beale DBE - The first female CEO of Lloyd’s of London

  • Dame Ruth Cairnie DBE – Former Shell executive and FTSE100 Chair (Babcock); exemplifies leadership in the male-dominated defence sector

  • Professor Mirela Delibegovic - Regius Chair of Physiology; Dean and centre director at University of Aberdeen

  • Dana Denis-Smith OBE – Entrepreneur and founder of Obelisk Support and the First 100 Years project, spotlighting women in law

  • Kate Grussing CBE - Dynamic entrepreneur; founder, board and advisory leader

  • Dr Alice Maynard CBE – Disability rights advocate and governance expert; experience in both public and private boards

  • Emerita Professor Cynthia Pine CBE – Trailblazing academic and the first Black woman to lead a UK dental school; champion of health equity

  • Laura Serrant CBE – Influential nurse and academic, known for work in racial justice and healthcare inequality

  • Dame Neslyn Watson-Druée DBE – Leadership coach, entrepreneur, and former NHS Chair; prominent Black British business leader

  • Marty Wikstrom - Esteemed business leader; board director at Fortnum & Mason and Johnstons of Elgin; fellow at Cambridge Judge Business School

Shaping the Now, Inspiring the Next

Through initiatives like Connect & Rise, our Racial Equity Mentoring Programme, and the prestigious IWF Fellows Programme we invest in the next generation of women leaders—sharing wisdom, creating opportunities, and opening doors.

Our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) - covering topics from sustainability to the arts to future leadership - provide members with spaces to enhance their own leadership, collaborate on issues they care about, and extend their impact far beyond IWF UK.

Whether it’s mentoring a future CEO, challenging norms in boardrooms, or leading international dialogue on gender equity, IWF UK members create ripples of influence that reach across sectors and borders.

Together, we lead change, not just for ourselves, but for all those who follow.