The Female Lead’s Women of the Year 2025

Prepare to be inspired. These women all made change for good…

2025 was the year of positive female leaders and change makers. While women around the world face significant issues – violence against women and girls, medical misogyny, the gender pay gap and more – women’s voices are being raised to galvanise us all and give us hope.

Here we pay tribute to the women who made an impact in 2025, whether a significant contribution in their respective fields or using their influence to drive important conversations and make the world a better place. They are inspiring us all, passing on their life lessons and helping shape the next generation of women.

We considered the following criteria:

Leadership: Demonstrates purpose-driven leadership, achieving outstanding results while mobilizing and motivating others to create meaningful, positive change.
Influence: Serves as a positive example, sparking important conversations and encouraging progress amongst women and society as a whole.

Inspiration: Acts as a role model, breaking barriers and redefining what success can look like, motivating others to follow their lead.

Impact: Has made a measurable societal difference, driving initiatives that inspire others and advocating for change.

Davina McCall - TV presenter, author

In November 2025, Davina revealed she’d been diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone a lumpectomy. She used this experience to urge women to “get checked,” emphasising how vital regular breast examinations are for early diagnosis and treatment. Her transparency helps encourage early detection and self-care, saying, “Get checked if you’re worried. Check yourself regularly. If you are due a mammogram, then get it done.” After being so open about having surgery in late 2024 to remove a rare benign brain tumour, Davina continues to advocate for women’s health, particularly around the menopause.

Olivia Dean - Singer

At a time when the live music world is increasingly dominated by inflated resale prices, bots, and exploitative secondary markets, Olivia used her platform as a Grammy-nominated artist to demand better for music lovers. “Every artist and their team should be granted the option to cap resale at face value ahead of on sale, to keep the live music space accessible for all,” she said in a statement. “We as an industry have a responsibility to protect people and our community. I’m looking forward to seeing all you real humans at the show. Stop the bots.” Olivia also became the first female solo artist to have four singles in the UK Top Ten at the same time.

Erin Doherty - Actor

Her performance as psychologist Briony Ariston in Netflix’s Adolescence – the 52-minute episode was filmed in a single uncut take – won Erin critical success, her first Emmy Award and she’s been nominated for a Golden Globe in 2026. The drama drove much needed conversations about toxic masculinity, online misogyny and incels. Erin also advocates for representation of LGBTQ+ stories on screen and has said, “Being a visible gay woman is really important to me, and I really want people to know that.”

Marissa Bode - Actor and disability activist

On-screen and off, Marissa pushes for authentic casting, accessible production environments, and inclusion behind the scenes. She made history as the first wheelchair user to play Nessarose in a Wicked adaptation and has leveraged her platform to champion inclusivity, work to amplify underrepresented voices, and support young people from marginalized communities to pursue careers in performance arts. Marissa has called out ableism in all its forms, writing, “Listen to disabled people. Follow other disabled people outside of just me. Read up on the disability rights movement/watch the documentary Crip Camp! I understand no one likes feeling like they’re being scolded. But true progress never comes with comfort. And that’s ok.”

Melinda French Gates - Philanthropist

In September 2025, Melinda announced a partnership between Pivotal and Wellcome Leap to invest US$100 million in women’s health research in the USA, focusing on historically underfunded areas. “We are really going to go after women’s diseases we haven’t looked at, things like cardiovascular disease, menopause, chronic illnesses,” she said. “Women go in to the doctor and they can’t find a solution or they aren’t listened to, and if we advance the research and the medicine, we can treat these women’s diseases.” This initiative addresses the gender data gap and accelerates breakthroughs for women’s health globally.

Serlina Boyd - Founder of Cocoa magazine

As the founder of Cocoa Girl and Cocoa Boy, Serlina created the first mainstream UK magazines celebrating Black children, giving them a space where their identity, heritage, and brilliance are centred and celebrated. In 2025, Cocoa Magazine announced a partnership with Readly, enabling global digital distribution. Serlina also launched the Cocoa Dream Society, boosting literacy through partnerships with Bloomsbury Publishing and Audible, publishing over 100 child-author books. This year, Serlina was awarded the Chair’s Award at the BSME Awards, in recognition of her contribution to magazine publishing, editorial innovation, and elevating under-represented voices through Cocoa.

Hannah Hampton - England and Chelsea goalkeeper

This year, Hannah became the first woman to win the Yashin Trophy, officially recognising her as the best female goalkeeper in the world. She was also named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2025. For her club Chelsea, Hannah anchored a historic domestic treble while on a national level she produced game-defining saves throughout UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, helping to secure England’s title. Having overcome a childhood eye condition that once cast doubt on her ability to play football at all, Hannah embodies perseverance saying, “Empowered women don’t wait for permission. We build our own tables, pull up extra chairs, and make sure every sister has a seat.”

Amelia and Lydia Miller - Founders of ivee

The visionary sisters launched their business from a deeply personal place: watching their mother struggle to return to work after a career break and realising the job market is not designed for returners, career changers, or those whose professional paths are non-linear. Traditional recruitment systems routinely overlook individuals simply because their CV doesn’t follow a rigid trajectory - particularly women affected by caregiving roles, health breaks, and unequal workplace norms. Amelia and Lydia created ivee to rebuild this system and support people re-entering or reshaping their careers saying, “We built ivee for those locked out of the job system”.

Lucy Edwards - Presenter, author and disability activist

Lucy’s work is redefining what true inclusivity means within the global beauty industry. As a blind journalist, content creator, and advocate for accessibility, she is driving industry-shaping innovation by launching her own accessible beauty brand, Etia. After securing seed funding through the Estée Lauder x TikTok’s Catalysts programme, Lucy became one of the first blind founders of a fully accessibility-led beauty brand with products integrating modular packaging, Braille, NaviLens codes, and accessible tutorials, ensuring blind and visually impaired people can use beauty products independently without compromise. “Being a blind founder of my own beauty brand has its challenges but ones I’m diving headfirst into. I want it to be the brand you’ve never seen before,” she says.

Dr Mumtaz Patel - President of the Royal College of Physicians

Dr Mumtaz Patel’s presidency of the Royal College of Physicians in 2025 marks a historic moment for British medicine. Elected as the 123rd president, she is the first Muslim, the first woman of Indian origin, and only the fourth woman in the RCP’s 500-year history to hold this position. A distinguished nephrologist and an influential educator, Dr Patel has a career built on clinical excellence, innovation in medical training, and advocacy for fairness across the workforce. She has also been vocal about tackling health inequalities, urging policy-makers to focus on prevention and equitable access to care, especially for deprived communities. Her appointment represents a step forward for representation and inclusion within the UK’s medical leadership.

Ellie Goldstein - Model, actor, Strictly Come Dancing star

Model Ellie inspired millions when she took to the dance floor with partner Vito Coppola on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, making it through to the sixth week. “I have Down’s syndrome, but it doesn’t define me, not even close,” Ellie has said. “It’s actually the least interesting thing about me. I think any person like me should be happy and go out there with confidence.” Ellie, who has appeared on the cover of Vogue, also made her acting debut as Nancy in CBBC’s Malory Towers this year. At only 23, we expect to see more of Ellie in the years to come.

Red Roses - England Women’s Rugby Team

In 2025 the Red Roses claimed their third Women’s Rugby World Cup title, defeating Canada 33-13 in the final in front of a record home crowd of 81,885 at Twickenham – proving women’s rugby can draw crowds comparable with major men’s games. As team captain Zoe Aldcroft said, “We have been on this journey of ‘for the girls’, it wasn’t just about the girls in that circle but also the girls we inspire and the girls who have come before us. It was just amazing. A dream come true.” The Red Roses embody leadership through example with their team spirit offering inspiration to future generations of sportswomen.

Lupita Nyong’o - Actress

In 2025, Lupita shared her personal experience of living with uterine fibroids since 2014. “I hope my experience will resonate with anyone else who has ever felt dismissed, confused or alone,” she said. “We deserve better.” Lupita backed bills in congress as well as launching the FWH x Lupita Nyong’o Uterine Fibroid Research Grant with the Foundation for Women’s Health to boost research funding, improving early detection and broadening access to treatment. Lupita’s openness and action has shown the meaningful change public figures can have in health awareness and advocacy.

Margaret Atwood - Author and activist

At age 86, Margaret published her autobiography in 2025, reflecting on a lifetime of literary achievement and cultural impact. As a pioneer of speculative fiction and social commentary, Margaret continues to influence readers and writers globally, demonstrating that creativity and insight know no age limits. Her autobiography offers not only a personal history but a chronicle of the evolving literary landscape, cementing her as a cultural touchstone and an enduring inspiration. And The Handmaid’s Tale remains a key driver to the conversation around women’s rights.

Cat Burns - Singer

Beyond her acclaimed music career, Cat uses her platform to advocate for communities often overlooked, particularly those living with autism, ADHD, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. This year, The Celebrity Traitors star opened about her own experiences navigating neurodiversity and identity, speaking candidly about the challenges and societal barriers that can accompany ADHD and autism, saying, “Once I got my autism diagnosis that helped me understand myself and just how much I’ve had to do in order to get to where I am”. Cat has created a space where neurodivergent individuals feel seen, validated, and empowered. Her advocacy extends to LGBTQ+ representation, celebrating authenticity, acceptance, and intersectional visibility.

Grace Beverley - entrepreneur, CEO and influencer

The founder of four businesses – SHREDDY, TALA, The Productivity Method and Retrograde – Grace has had one of her strongest years to date and continues to use her platform to inspire others to be more productive and successful. TALA, which offers consciously-made activewear and on-the-go lifestyle pieces, opened its first permanent store on Carnaby Street, London, in May, with a second store in Westfield opened in November. Grace, who is also the host of the chart-topping podcast Working Hard with Grace Beverley and the author of the bestselling book, Working Hard, Hardly Working, is no gatekeeper, telling her followers, “We’ve been taught that being assertive means being bossy, difficult, or demanding when in reality, it’s how you get what you deserve.”

Maggie Kang - writer and co-director of KPop Demon Hunters

Born in Seoul and raised in Canada, Maggie’s Netflix creation KPop Demon Hunters is the first time she’s been a director on a feature film - and women are at the heart of the movie. Close to 50% of the people listed on the film’s credits are women after Maggie and Michelle Wong, Sony Pictures producer, made a conscious decision to “cast and promote female artists and talent”. Golden reached 1 billion streams on Spotify and was nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards, while the soundtrack had been certified platinum. In December, Golden and the film also received Golden Globe nominations. “Just seeing people bond over this movie has been so wonderful,” Maggie said. “So all the awards would be great, but I think we feel really incredible about what the movie has done already. So it feels like we’ve kind of won in a way.”

Men of the Year 2025

The men who spoke out to support women, amplified their voices and influenced change in society in 2025. Allyship has never been more important.

Stephen Graham - Actor, writer

Actor and creator of Emmy award-winning Netflix series, Adolescence, Stephen sparked a global conversation about the growing misogynistic teen subculture often linked to toxic masculinity influencers and ideologies. Stephen said his aim was to create “conversations in homes — with fathers and sons, fathers and daughters and mothers and sons and mothers and daughters. We have a real crisis going on with young men today, and we’ve got to start talking about it right now. It affects all of us. I just wanted to start a conversation about this, a real conversation.”

Jordan Stephens - Musician

As one half of Rizzle Kicks, Jordan has leveraged his public profile to engage directly with young men, fostering dialogue around allyship, respect, and shared responsibility for creating inclusive environments. Jordan has highlighted issues such as gender-based harassment, workplace inequality, and the importance of equitable opportunities in entertainment and society at large. “I am a big fan of feminism and I have read a lot of feminist literature,” he said this year. “A lot of my friends are women and lots of women follow me, because I guess I’m more accessible than other men. I actually get pushback from men, because my outlook on life is in direct contradiction to everything that capitalist patriarchy tells men is important.”

Robert Irwin - Conservationist

The Dancing With The Stars champion has become a prominent advocate for women’s health, specifically raising awareness for endometriosis due to his sister Bindi Irwin’s struggle with the disease. Robert has spoken publicly about the importance of discussing endometriosis and women’s health, encouraging men to be allies, and celebrating his sister’s resilience and recovery after her surgery. “Women’s health throughout history — and even now — is just under discussed, under researched. We really need advocates to stand up and to get the word out there, men and women,” he said this year.

Zohran Mamdani - Politician

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran has stated that it is “absolutely not women’s responsibility to resolve” the crisis of male loneliness. He attributed the issue to systemic economic and social forces. In 2026, Zohran is set to prioritise policies aimed at improving the quality of life and economic stability for women, including universal, high-quality childcare and a rent freeze on subsidized units, according to his campaign promises. He has also appointed an all-female transition team to help implement his agenda, which includes free public transportation and city-run grocery stores, which are expected to disproportionately benefit women.

Ian Wright - Football pundit

In 2025, Ian launched an under-14s girls’ football team, and continued to appear as a pundit on UEFA Women’s EURO 2025. As an advocate for women’s football, he’s one of the most vocal in addressing inequality and the need to invest in the future of the game. “Because of the past, where men blocked the women’s game for 50 years, the game has serious systemic challenges and it is going to take everyone to help fix it,” he said this year. Ian is a long term supporter of women’s football having donated £15,000 to train more female grassroots coaches and personally paid for rehabilitation for an injured player.