Britain's Most Influential Women

International Women’s Day is a time to think about the inspirational women who have worked hard to change the world we live in and the way women are perceived.

International Women’s Day may sound a little outdated, as men and women are generally considered equal in the Western world. However there are still some inequalities between the sexes in the work environment; this was apparent in The Sunday Times ‘Britain’s 500 Most Influential’ list, where a there was a distinct lack of women on the advertising, engineering and finance lists.

These are some of Speakers Corner’s favourite women who did make it in to The Sunday Times ‘Britain’s 500 Most Influential People’:

• Clare Balding  was recognised in the Television and Talent section for her outstanding coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games. She has in total presented five Olympic Games, four Paralympics, and three Winter Olympics. She also covers the Channel 4 racing.
• Alexandra Shulman was named as one of the most influential people in Fashion, she is the editor-in-chief of British Vogue and has increased circulation hugely since she began working with Vogue in 1992.
• JK Rowling, acknowledged in the writers section for the Harry Potter phenomenon, JK has sold an estimated 450 million copies of the Harry Potter books and has published two adult novels.
• Malala Yousafzai is a blogger and campaigner for girls education and is considered to be one of the UK’S most influential people in charity and campaigning. Malala was shot in Pakistan by the Taliban and recuperated in the UK; she is also the youngest person to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala will be speaking at the Women of the World festival at London’s Southbank Centre for International Women’s Day.
• Ann Patricia Botin is the only woman in the finance category, she is the chief executive of Santander UK and the first woman to run a leading British Bank.
• Laura Wade-Gery is the former Tesco.com executive and is now in charge of M&S’s £1bn attempt to turn the web into the company’s flagship store. Laura was named as one of the two inspirational women working in retail.
• Dame Helen Mirren is considered to be one of the most inspirational people in Theatre, she has won BAFTA and Emmy Awards and played the role of the Queen in ‘The Audience’.
• Yvette Cooper, MP is one of the highest ranking women in the Labour Party and tipped by some as a future party leader.Yvette is one of several women considered to be Britain’s most influential people in Politics.

These are highly impressive individuals who have worked hard to get to the pinnacle of their chosen professions. With a list comprised primarily of ambitious and successful men, it would be refreshing to see a more inclusive list in the future, featuring women who will empower the next generation to achieve the same level of success.