International Women's Day: Meet our local heroes

What makes you feel empowered? To mark International Women’s Day, a selection of exceptional local women flourishing in their respective fields seek to answer that very question

Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College Cambridge

“I remember feeling empowered when I first came to Cambridge as a student and developed my sense of agency. In 1985, I had been accepted to study Computer Science. In those days you could only study Computer Science for the last two years of a Cambridge Tripos. I loved AI and chose to study Philosophy for the first year. I remember phoning my parents from a phone box to tell them of my decision to stick with Philosophy. It was an empowering moment. My life, my choice. I derived a confidence and personal strength from taking responsibility for the choice I had made. Okay. In an alternative universe I stuck with Computer Science and ended up at MIT. However, over 30 years later, I can say I’m happy with this universe.”

Michele Bailey, owner of Bury-based gallery, Art in East Anglia

“Maturity makes me feel empowered. The experience I have gained on my life’s journey has led me to feeling more confident and more able now, than at any other time in my life. From saying ‘yes’ to opportunities along the way and often stepping out of my comfort zone to try new things, I have grown from both the successes and failures encountered. Two years ago, at an age where some of my friends were starting to think about slowing down, I started a new business feeling positive and confident in my ability to make it a success. Art in East Anglia is all about people - the many artists that I represent and the customers that I deal with. Maturity empowers me to engage with all different personality types and I am happy and grateful for that.”

Cathy Moore, CEO and Artistic Director of Cambridge Literary Festival

“For the past 20 years, as founder and director of Cambridge Literary Festival, I have enjoyed a large degree of autonomy in the selection of speakers and in the curation of the events they deliver. Being so empowered has enabled me to provide a platform for some of our best thinkers and speakers. Two events stand-out. We were honoured to welcome the 2015 Nobel Prize-winner Svetlana Alexievich from Belarus whose book Second-Hand Time chronicled the Chernobyl disaster and whose polyphonic writings are a testament to the suffering and courage of those involved, from the firefighters to the pregnant mothers. You could hear a pin drop as our audience members were stunned and humbled by her words. The legendary Patti Smith agreed to join us in 2019 to discuss a volume of her memoirs and played a full acoustic set. There were tears of pain and joy and several standing ovations.”

Katie Williamson, founder of My Doris, the Bury-based accessories brand which champions the talents of artisans from around the world

“Empowerment can come from many places, and I feel the most empowered by the amazing, mostly female team at My Doris. They inspire, motivate and entertain me every day and together we do a great job at empowering each other with our supportive, collaborative and flexible approach to work. I think its key to developing resilient, successful and confident women and in turn helps make a successful business.”

Rebecca Rose, founder of To The Fairest, the independent perfumery which creates fragrances inspired by imagined landscapes, literature and love

“Feeling empowered means being able to determine choices, with access to opportunities and resources. This IWD, I would like to shine a light on Smart Works, a UK charity that exists to give women the confidence they need to reach their full potential, secure employment and change the trajectory of their lives. This involves dressing and training unemployed women for success at their job interview. To date, Smart Works has supported over 20,000 women break the cycle of rejection and deprivation that results from unemployment. I was invited to join the Smart Works volunteer coaching team. It has been a real privilege to work with such fantastic women and see the community expand to 8 centres across the UK.”

Vhari Russell, founder of the multi-award-winning agency, The Food Marketing Experts, based in Huntingdon

“What comes to mind is using the grief of my brother’s sudden death to create a charity and turning it into a positive legacy for him. I feel so empowered by this project and planting thousands of trees and hedging plants is hugely rewarding. It is great to see the faces of those that have helped plant, especially when they have done it for the first time. I have also recently been back to our first few plantings and it’s fantastic to see the growth in a year. The power of being in nature is truly restorative and empowering.”

Lina Orsino-Allen, AKA Lina Della Luna, holistic business coach and certified moonologer™

“Cyclical living has been a game-changer for me. As women, we are inherently connected to the cyclical nature of life, and resetting my day-to-day post-pandemic to live in alignment with the current lunar cycle and season has made a huge difference to my happiness, energy and mood levels. Pre-pandemic I was a successful but stressed business owner, thinking I had to be ‘on it’ 24/7 and my mental health suffered. The best thing about this shift is that I now teach others, and not just those who identify as women, how to bring simple changes into their lives to achieve this cyclical balance, and it particularly seems to be powerful for fellow business owners. Hustle is not the only way to success in life (the opposite in fact), and I love seeing others take their own power back too through living this way.”

Joanna Kim, CEO and founder of Cyssan Watches, a Cambridge-based independent watch and accessories brand creating timepieces that remind the women who wear them how powerful they are

“Some people close to me might call me indecisive; I don’t tend to make quick decisions, but what has made me feel the most empowered in my life is when I’ve consciously made a decision to significantly change my life. The first time I think I felt this was when I decided to change the course of my life and move to Italy, aged 18. Making that decision to control my destiny left me feeling a stronger and more confident person. More recently, I made the difficult decision to move back to the UK after living abroad for so long, to change my career path, and to launch my own business. Again, life-changing decisions, and again resulting in a strong feeling of empowerment for me.”

Georgina Little, Regional Director of female business network, The Athena Network Suffolk, and personal brand photographer

“As a business owner, I have faced many challenges along the way. I think the single most powerful thing that I've realised is to let go of doubts and fears, which can get in the way of achieving goals; this has had a huge impact on my business and personal life too.

This standpoint has allowed me to follow my passion of photographing other women in business, which in turn empowers them to feel confident in being visible for their brand. Empowering women is something that is incredibly important to me and is truly the heart of my business. In 2022 I became the Regional Director for The Athena Network Suffolk, a networking group for women in business. It enables me to help women in business connect and grow their businesses.

Having the opportunity to empower women in both of my businesses has, in turn, empowered me and motivated me to continue helping women feel confident and comfortable being themselves. This is a true honour, and this alone overrides any of the fears or doubts I’ve had along the way.”