International Women’s Day comes round every year as part of Women’s History Month, and this year, the theme is #AccelerateAction.
To help even the playing field, and accelerate action for women in business, it’s important to try to support female founded and led companies where you can.
- Currently, only 19.1% of active UK companies are female-led.
- There are almost One Million women-led companies in the UK. The current figure is 997,090.
- But the pace of registrations is slowing and closures are rising. 171,400 incorporated in the last year, a 6.6% drop in registrations from the previous year. The number of closures outpaced registrations in the final quarter of 2024.
- Women-led companies received just 5.8% of all investments.
- There was a 4.37% increase in ethnic minority female-led companies in the last 12 months.
(Source: Companies House 2025 data collated by Prowess).
It can be a huge challenge, finding businesses you want to support, those that champion women all of the time, not just on one day of the year. So we’ve done a round up of some absolute glass-ceiling smashers that you can keep an eye on, purchase products from, learn from or just hire their amazing services, if you do so wish of course.
Brand Champions
Fiona Wylie is redefining how mothers centre work in their lives, as women’s place in the workplace has evolved over the decades, they still don’t want to forgo their homelife.
Fiona realised upon her return to work after maternity leave that the working world just isn’t created for working mothers. She realised that the industry she loved wasn’t giving her enough flexibility.
She couldn’t find a way of balancing her work with her family life where she was, so she started her own business where family is at the heart of their work, and business. She’s a campaigner for flexibility and inclusivity in the workplace. Fiona decided that she could create a marketing agency that made work work for her – this was the catalyst for Fiona to start her own agency and Brand Champions was born.
Slated as the ‘5th emergency service’ of the business world, Brand Champions is renowned for its SOS service, to help keep businesses operational in times of crisis.
Have you got too many projects? Is the marketing team off sick? Did you agree to a project that you now don’t have capacity for?
These are just some of the scenarios in which Brand Champions can come to the rescue. Jo Vaughton, Marketing Director at PizzaExpress, said, “Brand Champions are like the fifth emergency service that parachutes in and saves the day!”
Fiona honed many of the traits she learned as she became a mother and put them into her business – from championing flexibility to coming in to save the day at a moment’s notice.
For more information, please visit https://thebrandchampions.co.uk/home.
Etan Rum
Étän Rum is more than just an award-winning golden spiced rum. It is the culmination of the passion and dedication of five sisters, Laura, Briget, Noella, Caroline, and Kareen, who drew inspiration from their family roots in Cameroon, West Africa. The name Étän means “five” in Mungaka, their parents’ dialect, reflecting the sisters’ commitment to family and togetherness.
Through months of tasting, testing, and debating, the sisters created a unique and flavourful rum that is a reflection of the melting pot of ethnic cultures in Cameroon. The regal look and feel of the brand, combined with its fun and sophisticated flair, is a reflection of the influence of Bali, a town and commune in Cameroon known for its palace and regular festivals.
Étän Rum is proof that five heads are better than one. The sisters’ passion for a great spiced rum has led them on a journey of discovery and creation, resulting in a truly special and award-winning product. Their commitment to family, heritage, and quality is evident in every bottle of Étän Rum. Their story is an inspiration to anyone who dreams of turning their passion into reality.
For more information, please visit https://www.etanrum.co.uk/.
Goho
Goho is a female led agency specialising in Events, Marketing and PR. The Founder and Managing Director, Stacey-Rebekka Karlsson started the boutique agency in March 2019 with just a laptop, and a shed-load of positive energy.
She literally was the Girl On Her Own (that’s where the name Goho originates), but Goho has grown to become an award winning team of 12. Goho helps businesses and organisations bring their brand to life. Be it through social media, content or live events, Goho helps them tell their story.
Famous for their slogan, “we don’t work with dickheads”, Goho proudly works with passion in everything they do, ensuring their clients are a perfect fit for them.
Stacey Karlsson, the founder of Goho says “ Like most companies, Covid-19 made business very difficult for us, but it also forced me to look at things differently, to pivot the business, to look for gaps in the market, and to streamline our services and offering. I haven’t looked back. Goho is going from strength to strength, we now have a really strong team, more clients than we’ve ever had and a waiting list for our services”.
For more information, please visit https://www.thisisgoho.com.
Lousie Howard
According to The Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report 2024, artworks by women account for only 29% of gallery sales, highlighting the persistent gender disparity in the art world.
Less than 5% of the artists in the Modern Art Sections are women, but 85% of the nudes are female. While the female form is often celebrated in art, female artists aren’t.
London-based contemporary artist Louise Howard is challenging this narrative. Known for her evocative paintings that exclusively depict women, Howard draws deeply from her own life to create works that delve into the complexities of the female experience.
Her latest collection, In Catfood and Wine, was born from the struggles she faced as a female artist during the COVID-19 pandemic. The collection reflects resilience, vulnerability and adversity, told through the faces of everyday women.
In Catfood and Wine will debut at an intimate gallery on Kensington Church Street on March 28th – 2nd April, offering viewers a deeply personal glimpse into Howard’s journey and the broader challenges women face in contemporary art.
Get tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1256413870709?aff=oddtdtcreator
ROOAR
Only 25% of new businesses survive for 15 years or more. This percentage is lower in the beauty and wellness scene. Sandra and Theodora Chow’s businesses have been growing and thriving in the eastern side of the world for the past 15 years, outperforming the market. Having achieved success with their nail brand across three branches in Hong Kong and an award-winning local skincare line, the duo’s relocation to London two years ago provided the impetus to extend their vision to a broader audience. With this incredible experience behind them, they launched ROOAR, their third brand creation. This new skincare brand represents the culmination of its journey towards promoting self-care and mindfulness globally.
The Chow Sisters have dedicated their careers to perfecting the skincare craft and ensuring users have the best experience. They don’t want to provide skincare; they want to elevate their customers’ lives. Skincare is a personal experience that contributes to self-care. It’s not just a product.
Already, ROOAR has won an award for Best New Bodycare Product in the Natural and Organic Beauty Innovation Awards with their Deep Hydrating Hand Therapy cream scooping the top prize.
ROOAR is a sustainable yet luxury skincare that invigorates your senses and supports your wellbeing. Sandra and Theodora wanted to ensure users of their skincare didn’t encounter harmful products – they have used what they learned over the past 15 years about organic skincare, natural skincare, ageing and eastern remedies to produce a skincare brand that would be suitable for all skin types, not contribute to the use of synthetic chemicals whilst supporting consumers with long-term health and wellbeing.
For more information, visit – https://rooar.co/.
Anj Popat
Anj is an Associate Director in Tile Hill’s Interim Management team. Her specialty is in Corporate Resources, having worked in providing C-suite interim resourcing solutions within the local government space. Anj uses expertise to grow the company’s HR and candidate network, amplifying the impact of Tile Hill across the public sector and beyond.
Anj is committed to seeing greater representation in public sector teams, often speaking up and leading discussions on diversity, gender and cultural intelligence in the sector.
With a background in law and strong motivation to serve the community, Anj entered the interim recruitment sector in her early-20s, and has successfully established herself as a leader in the space. Her career has led her to roles in Australia and the UK, acquiring global insights into the recruitment industry.
In the early days of her career, Anj’s experience of the public sector was that it was a very male-dominated field. As a young woman of ethnic minority, she used to feel pressure to prove her credibility to her managers, colleagues and clients. She would be able to share how she overcame these challenges to succeed in the sector.
For more information, visit – https://www.tile-hill.co.uk/.
- Anthony White
