International Women’s Day: Meet the Trailblazing Women of Newcastle

Anna Lovett, Partner and Employment Lawyer, Burnetts Solicitors LLP

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what your role is?        

I’m an employment lawyer at Burnetts Solicitors. I advise employers on all aspects of employment law with a specialism in discrimination and equal opportunities.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

It’s a day to recognise how far we’ve come, but also a day to consider how far we still have left to go. It was only just over a hundred years ago that women were legally allowed to become solicitors, so not that long ago. We’re still all working towards equal pay and equality in the workplace in general and that forms a big part of my day to day.

Which women inspire you?

I have huge respect for any woman who has the courage and confidence to advocate for themselves and proactively contribute to bringing about positive change in terms of equality.

What is your proudest achievement?

Having my little girl last year, returning to work this year and managing the juggle of being a good mum while still maintaining my career development. I want to be a role model for my daughter.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #AccelerateAction and aims to make faster and more effective strides towards gender equality. In your opinion, what is the best way to achieve this?

It has to involve everyone, including men. When you look at parental leave in the UK, men are only entitled to two weeks of statutory leave while women can take the full year and this feeds the narrative that women have to be the main carer. How can we create equality in the workplace while this is the norm? Until we have equality and choice in our home lives, we won’t have it in our work lives. This is what needs to change.

Lizzie Jacklin, Keeper of Art, North East Museums

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what your role is?

I am a Keeper of Art at North East Museums. I am based at the Laing Art Gallery and also spend some time at the Hatton Gallery. My role involves caring for the art collections, interpreting them for a broad audience, and curating exhibitions and displays. Before joining the team at North East Museums, I worked at other galleries and museums in the UK, including Tate Britain and the V&A. As I am from the North East originally and used to visit the Laing and the Hatton when I was a teenager, it means the world to me to be both living in the region and doing a job that I love.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

It is important to have a day where we focus our minds on celebrating the achievements of women, and also that we take the opportunity to think about the work there is still to do, both here and in other parts of the world, to support women. Having a young daughter is an everyday reminder of how much this matters.

Which women inspire you?

Lots of women have supported me in my life and they continue to inspire me every day. In terms of my work, the art world has historically been very difficult for women to navigate, which makes the achievements of female artists all the more inspiring. Laura Knight, for example, became the first woman artist to be elected as a Royal Academician in 1936. This reflected both her talent and her incredible determination to be taken seriously. You can see several examples of her work on display at the Laing Art Gallery, including her paintings The Beach and A Dark Pool.

There are also lots of other works by women artists to discover in the free displays there, thanks to the ongoing work of the Laing’s team under the direction of Chief Curator of Art Galleries, Julie Milne. Look out for paintings by Isa Jobling, Florence Ward, Dod Procter, Winifred Nicholson, Anne Redpath, Marlene Dumas, Gillian Ayres and others. There is also currently a beautiful free exhibition of Nerys Johnson’s work.

What is your proudest achievement?

Last year I curated the exhibition Turner: Art, Industry & Nostalgia at the Laing and I am proud that we were able to weave the story of Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire into a North East context in a way that seems to have resonated with many of our visitors. J.M.W. Turner was of course the star of the show, and it was truly wonderful to share so many incredible works by him with our audience.

It was also important to me that the final section of the exhibition, which explored more recent depictions of the industrial and postindustrial landscape, included some pieces by female artists. The art world is not as male dominated now as it was in Turner’s day (he lived from 1775 to 1851) - but there is lots of work still to do both in highlighting the work of women artists who have been overlooked and in ensuring living artists are working within a system that supports women.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #AccelerateAction and aims to make faster and more effective strides towards gender equality. In your opinion, what is the best way to achieve this?

I am sure others can answer this much better! For myself, I am trying to do what I can on a local level within my own life and work. Hopefully if we all take action in a small way every day, we’ll see results and keep building on what the women before us have achieved to make things better for the generations that follow.

Annabel Furness, Head of Design, JUMP

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what your role is?

I am the Head of Design at JUMP. Alongside our Creative Director, I am at centre of all things design at JUMP - developing the team and representing JUMP in client meetings.

I manage the design team, ensuring all work is delivered to clients on time and to the highest standard. I try and split my time so I am still able to work on projects as well.

We work with a wide range of clients - creating design and digital solutions for some really ambitious brands, both large and small. The design team is really comfortable switching between them all and delivering thoughtful, creative design to suit.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

To me, International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate the social, cultural, and political achievements of women - particularly in the North East. A lot of women I know often downplay their achievements - IWD is a day for celebrating our success - the small wins as well as the big!

Which women inspire you?

There are so many women in the creative industries, I find inspiring - particularly those with a quirky sense of style who are unafraid to be themselves - people like Sarah Sherman (comedian, Saturday Night Live), Rachel Chudley (Interior Designer) and Frith Kerr (Designer).

Eliza Clark, form Newcastle, has such a distinctive voice - I’ve loved her novels and short stories - I’m excited to see how her career develops - more books? TV and film? Hopefully both!

What is your proudest achievement?

Before I worked at agencies, I was a freelance illustrator and decided to set up my own stationery and homeware business- it was a very proud moment seeing my cards and designs stocked in places like Fenwick’s, Paperchase (RIP) and Oliver Bonas!

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #AccelerateAction and aims to make faster and more effective strides towards gender equality. In your opinion, what is the best way to achieve this?

I read that at the current rate of progress it will take until 2158 to achieve full gender parity, according to the World Economic Forum. I think this really highlights the urgency of accelerating our efforts - through actions in our workplaces and communities. Groups like Ladies, Wine and Design are bringing together women in the creative industry to share our experiences. Individually I think we can all continue to support women-led initiatives and fundraising efforts, supporting local organisations like the West End Women and Girls Centre.

Dr Stacy Gillis, Associate Dean (Education) & Senior Lecturer in Literature, Newcastle University

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what your role is?

I’m currently one of the associate deans of education at Newcastle University. However, my passion is thinking about gender politics and feminist studies so I’ve brought that to many of the things that I’ve done while working at the University to get people to think critically about gender politics and gender inequality.

In my own teaching, I use the forms of popular fiction to get people to think about how these forms of gender are perpetuated in ways that they might not always think about.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

Well, I actually have a lot of problems with International Women’s Day! I used to be the chair of NU women, which was the network for women staff and postgraduates at Newcastle University. Every year I would be asked to provide an inspirational quotation for International Womens Day, despite the fact that the gender pay gap at the institution was 18% or something (it fluctuates up and down – and I was like ‘I don’t want to give you a quotation, I want you to do something about the pay gap’. This is what myself and a colleague call the “emotional labour” of EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion). He is very involved in the queer studies network, and he’ll often be approached for a quotation.

I think IWD is important as a focalising point to get people to kind of reflect on what women do, but I’m appalled that we need one at all. Why I’m appalled that we need one at all is because it’s indicative that we do live in a patriarchy, that we do need to have this. So really it’s just more about “f*ck the patriarchy” for me.

Which women inspire you?

When I was 16 – I grew up in rural Canada, no internet, not a lot of bookstores – I was given a copy of The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir, and I read it in a week and all of the sudden I had the language to understand that I lived in a patriarchy, and that I was a feminist. I didn’t know that before, because I didn’t have the language to understand it. It’s a text that, for me, was this kind of catalyst. What Simone de Beauvoir was kind of arguing there, and that very famous statement “one is not born a woman, one becomes one” really captures what it is to live in a patriarchal culture.

I’m inspired by any woman or ally who has stood up and called things out when they’re not right. This includes the Suffragette action, this includes standing up on the bus when there’s somebody harassing a bunch of young women and going over and saying you’re one of their mums just to deflect the situation – anyone who has the strength because it’s so hard to do that, and to do it day in and day out, time after time, is so exhausting.

In terms of literature, my inspiration will always and ever be Jane Austen, for her ability to skewer social convention while at the same time recognising the limitations of the world and patriarchy in which we live.

And on a personal note, my maternal grandmother, who faced huge personal challenges – her father dying when she was young, brother dying, her son died – and always found a way to have hope. I don’t think she was at school past the age of about 13 or 14, but still lived a strong, emotionally rich life and the act of having hope is a form of resistance.

What is your proudest achievement?

When I retire, my proudest achievement is going to be energising and giving hope to other women, and bring a bit of laughter, joy and hope in the face of patriarchy. In terms of kind of professional achievements, that’s where I’m at.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #AccelerateAction and aims to make faster and more effective strides towards gender equality. In your opinion, what is the best way to achieve this?

Why is it women’s responsibility to do this! If this is such a thing that people are committed to, as a society, then we should all be striving for this. The world will be a better place if everyone – and I’m not just talking about women here – if we lived in a world without prejudice and that was about equity and equality, what might we do?

You just can’t give up. You can’t let the f*ckers get you down. You have to keep finding that laughter – that joy and that hope – and you have to keep supporting other people who need support, to the extent that you can yourself.

Julie Higgs, Owner, Hunter's Deli

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what your role is?

I’m Julie Higgs. I started working at Hunter's Deli as a teenager on a Saturday for some pocket money. The Grainger Market's friendly community and customers, the exciting pace of the market and its historical significance made me want to stay. One thing led to another and I soon became the shop manager. Fast forward 29 years and I’m now the owner and lucky to have an incredible team – working alongside my son Jack - with so many great customers in a beautiful new store in the Arcade.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

To me, International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate all of the incredible women out there. As a business owner with a team full of incredibly resilient women, it’s important to recognise women's achievements and continue pushing for equality, both in everyday life and in the workplace.

Which women inspire you?

My mother and mother-in-law are my biggest inspiration. They have both helped me and my husband with so much – no ask was ever too much. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to put so much time into work and concentrate on building such a great business. They spent a lot of time with my kids when they were younger and they now have such an amazing relationship with my kids - I couldn’t be any more grateful to them both.

What is your proudest achievement?

On top of our Grainger Market store and its successes, my proudest achievement is my kids. They've all grown up to be good honest people who work hard and always want to do the right thing.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #AccelerateAction and aims to make faster and more effective strides towards gender equality. In your opinion, what is the best way to achieve this?

If more people begin treating women equally, the more likely that behaviour, thinking and outlook will spread. If everyone was kinder and stuck up for what they believed in, it would make a world of difference. One thing I would like to see change is equal pay – as I do with my staff, I think women and men should be paid the same if they’re doing the same job role.

In the meantime, women supporting women is important. In the Grainger Market, we have such a positive group of women who lift each other, offer advice and wouldn't hesitate to help. It's a great community to be part of.

Samara Laboriel, Communications Assistant, Smart Works

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what your role is?

I’m Samara, I’m born and bred in Newcastle, I’m a DJ in my spare time and my favourite hobby is going out to eat. My role is the Communications Assistant at Smart Works Newcastle, so I handle everything from social media and press partnerships to spreading the word about our service, making sure every woman in the North East knows who we are and how we can help.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

To me, every day is a day to recognise women and our achievements, I suppose March 8th is a moment to celebrate us on a bigger scale. To reflect on progress and highlight the existing challenges.

Which women inspire you?

Aside from my mum, the women I meet through my work at Smart Works Newcastle inspire me every day. The North East has long struggled with high unemployment rates, yet our clients show incredible resilience in an increasingly competitive job market. They persist, show up to interviews (which no one enjoys), and stay driven and motivated despite the myriad of challenges they face.

What is your proudest achievement?

Last year, I completed my first ever Great North Run and managed to finish in under 2.5 hours! So let’s see if I can beat that time this year, ask me again in a few months time!

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #AccelerateAction and aims to make faster and more effective strides towards gender equality. In your opinion, what is the best way to achieve this?

Recognising intersectional representation across all industries. When diverse experiences and backgrounds of people are acknowledged we create more inclusive environments and dismantle systemic challenges. This way progress can benefit everyone, not just the select few.

Rachel Barlow, Head of Marketing and Events, Newcastle NE1 Ltd

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what your role is?

I’m the Head of Marketing and Events at Newcastle NE1, where I’ve been for just over three years now. I originally joined as the Marketing and Events Manager and have never looked back since! 

In my role, I have the privilege of leading on some of the city centre’s biggest and best-loved events - from NE1’s Newcastle Restaurant Week to Screen on the Green, the Newcastle Dragon Boat Race, Search for Santa and 24 Doors. I also work closely with Newcastle City Council on the Newcastle Christmas Market, helping to bring the festive spirit to life.

Beyond that, I’m involved in an exciting calendar of events throughout the year, including Northern Pride, Newcastle Mela, and so much more. No two days are ever the same! Alongside events, I also work with over 1,000 businesses across the city centre, helping to amplify their messages, showcase all the great things they’re doing, and ultimately drive footfall - cementing Newcastle as a fantastic place to live, work, and play.

One of the best parts of my job is that we’re always at the heart of what’s happening in the city. Whether it’s launching a new initiative, supporting local businesses, or delivering major events, we’re often among the first to know the news before it breaks - and we love bringing those stories to life. It’s a fast-paced, dynamic, and hugely rewarding role, and I feel incredibly lucky to play a part in making Newcastle an even better place.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

For me, International Women’s Day is both a celebration and a reminder. It’s a moment to spotlight the incredible women who make a real difference - whether they’re leading businesses, driving change in their communities, or inspiring others in ways big and small. But beyond recognition, it’s also a reminder of the work that still needs to be done to achieve real equality in every space.

One of the first times International Women’s Day truly resonated with me was during my first year at NE1, when I led a feature in our city-wide magazine on inspirational women. We highlighted leaders like Linda Conlon, CEO of the Centre for Life; Lesley Lister, Managing Director of Tyne Tees Models; and Cath Tucker, our brilliant and much-missed Careers Manager at NE1. That piece wasn’t just about celebrating their success - it was about sharing their stories, making sure their impact was seen and heard. It reinforced something I believe deeply: brilliant women do brilliant things every day, often without the spotlight they deserve.

In my role, I work with over 1,000 businesses across Newcastle, and the reality is that many of the senior decision-makers I engage with are men. That’s not a criticism - it’s just a reflection of how leadership structures have traditionally been shaped. But days like today are a chance to highlight the women who are leading, innovating, and paving the way for others, even when they’re not the ones in the headlines.

So, for me, International Women’s Day is about visibility, representation, and inspiration. It’s about ensuring that the next generation…whether they’re starting their careers or already on their way, can see themselves in leadership, in business, in every industry. Because the more we tell these stories, the more we challenge the status quo, and the more we remind everyone this isn’t just about one day. It’s about every day.

What is your proudest achievement?

It’s hard to pick just one proudest achievement - there have been so many moments in my life and career that I’ve been incredibly proud of. But if I had to choose, earning my commission as a Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force Air Cadets stands out as one of the most challenging and rewarding things I’ve ever done.

Outside of work, I’ve always been a huge community, volunteering with lots of organisations from a young age. For the past ten years, I’ve been dedicated to helping young people through the Air Cadets - an organisation that had a big impact on me when I was younger. During Covid, I decided to take that commitment even further by applying for a commission as an officer, knowing it would push me well beyond my comfort zone.

The process was incredibly demanding. It required intense studying, everything from military operations and current events to aircraft knowledge and safeguarding policies, alongside a rigorous two-stage selection process. The final hurdle was a residential training course at RAF Cranwell, where I had to prove I had the skills, resilience, and leadership required to graduate as an officer. Doing all of this while working full-time and being a mum was a serious challenge….especially spending a week away from my then four-year-old son.

The experience took me into a completely different world. The military and my day job in marketing and events couldn’t seem further apart, but in many ways, they require the same core skills - confidence, adaptability, problem-solving, and the ability to lead under pressure.

Ultimately, it was tough, but I thrived. Graduating with my commission was a moment of immense pride, and now, as a Flying Officer, I continue to balance this role alongside my career, knowing I’m helping to support and inspire the next generation - just as others did for me.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #AccelerateAction and aims to make faster and more effective strides towards gender equality. In your opinion, what is the best way to achieve this?

If we want to make real, lasting progress, we need to see more women in senior roles, whether in business, events, or the wider community.

One of the biggest challenges is visibility. Too often, the face of success, whether in boardrooms, business awards, or media coverage, tends to be male. That’s not to say women aren’t achieving incredible things, but they’re not always the ones in the spotlight. Representation REALLY matters. If young women don’t see people like them leading the way, it’s harder to believe they can get there too.

We also need to challenge the ‘default’ idea of leadership. It’s not just about getting a seat at the table… which believe me, can often be hard in the first place,  but it’s about making sure that women’s voices are heard, valued, and shaping decisions. That starts with businesses and organisations actively creating space for women to step into leadership roles, not as a tick-box exercises may I add, but because diverse leadership leads to better outcomes for everyone.

Finally, mentorship and support networks are key. I’ve been lucky to work with and learn from some incredible women throughout my career. Laura Chambers, my manager when I worked at Opportunity Peterborough, was a huge influence on me, and Carol Brock at Citizens Advice was nothing short of formidable - a force to be reckoned with. And of course, not all role models have to be real… Jessica Pearson from Suits might be fictional, but she’s the definition of a strong, confident, and inspiring female leader. I LOVED how she would sit quietly, listen, observe, and then effortlessly dismantle every argument in the room - proving, time and time again, that underestimating her was a serious mistake. Women like them prove that leadership doesn’t have to look or sound a certain way, it just has to be bold, capable, and unapologetic.

Real change won’t happen overnight, but by making leadership more visible, more accessible, and more inclusive, we can accelerate the pace and make gender equality something that isn’t just talked about once a year, but embedded in everything we do.

To find out more about International Women's Day, including how to get involved and help #AccelerateAction, visit https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

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