Celebrating Women of the Year

Women of the Year award winners, 2014

The Women of the Year luncheon – 500 influential women at the Intercontinental Hotel

The focus of the Women of the Year luncheon was on global brutality towards women as the result of medieval practices, often tolerated for so-called cultural reasons.

What brutality? The exploitation of children as sex slaves; genital mutilation of young girls to prevent their future enjoyment of sex; “honour killings” – which could correctly be called dishonour killings; horrific domestic violence, rape … and plenty more.

I had the pleasure to make new acquaintances and catching up with old friends including Yasmin Alabhai-Brown, Tanya Byron, Lorraine Kelly, Liz Chapman – the Library Director at the LSE, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC who has done such fantastic work and her hand is all over the lunch which was very professional, international, up to date and glamorous! Also Diana Makgill, Lindsay Nicholson, Eve Pollard and Zandra Rhodes.

Read about the inspiring award winners here: Women of the Year Award Winners, 2014

Money Stuff: Going Global, and a fifth ebook?

I spent time this week with my design consultant, Elke Hanspach, looking at the visual aspects of my work, in particular the possibility of a fifth step for Money Stuff, making the course eligible for the GCSE exam.

My American colleague, Sarah McFadden, has been editing the international edition of Money Stuff. Watch this space!

My Treasures

I was photographed by the Daily Mail for a piece in a series called My Treasures in their colour magazine. I was asked what was most valuable to me (besides family) and immediately named my P.A. But you’re not allowed humans, but pets are allowed. My cat Ginger is very unfriendly and snarled at the photographer when asked to pose for a photograph. It seems he doesn’t want to be famous.