How often is it that a single event determines the future of the entire world? In 2020, there is no escaping the fact that the coronavirus pandemic has altered – in many ways permanently – life as we knew it. It has seeped into every facet of our lives, recalibrating the way we work, socialise, travel, shop. In a few short months, as priorities shifted so did the spotlight. Scientists such as Prof Sarah Gilbert, and medical professionals such as Dr Jenny Harries, once operating largely away from public view, now have a new, explicit form of power and influence – not just in Britain, but globally. For some, such as the Queen, Covid-19 has deepened their relevance, while for others, such as Daisy Edgar-Jones, star of the lockdown must-watch Normal People, it has accelerated their rise to fame.
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If coronavirus is the event, racial injustice is the issue that will define this year – and the years to come. The resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement has propelled certain women – whether working in the arts, politics or activism – to the fore, and their words and work are finally starting to have real, tangible impact. While so much is unknown, there is one thing we know for sure: we are living in a new world, and these are the women defining what it looks like.
Emily Maitlis, Broadcaster
Emily Maitlis’s interview with Prince Andrew last November contributed to him stepping back from public duties and revealed her as a broadcaster at the top of her game. It has been Maitlis’s refreshingly frank, measured and human appraisals of the government on Newsnight that have proved her to be, at a time of great unrest, one of our most important and reassuring journalists. She’s unapologetically held our officials to account, even when it has been controversial for her to do so. If there is a voice we can trust, it is hers.
Liza Bilal & Naomi Smith, Black Lives Matter activists
The summer of 2020 will be remembered for its historical protests – and the young women who made them happen. On 3 June, thousands descended on Hyde Park to attend a Black Lives Matter rally, which set a blueprint for the others that would follow. Naomi Smith was one of its organisers, one of many activists around the UK who were instrumental in orchestrating and mobilising the anti-racist movement. In Bristol, student Liza Bilal, motivated by an “amalgamation of frustration” at the racial inequalities exposed by coronavirus and the death of Belly Mujinga, organised a BLM protest which would see the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston. The event sparked global debate and proved what power lies in protest – as well as how women such as Bilal, Smith and so many more like them are crucial in leading the charge.
Maria Balshaw, Director, Tate
It has been 12 months of highs and lows for the undisputed queen of Britain’s gallery scene. Last December, the director of Tate oversaw an inspirational night for the Turner Prize, where the shortlisted artists formed an ad hoc collective to accept the prize as one. Then, come March, all Tate galleries were forced to shut for months with the arrival of the pandemic. With this summer’s reopening of doors, all eyes are again on Balshaw, asking the question: what is our new creative landscape going to look like?
Munroe Bergdorf, Model and activist
In 2017, Munroe Bergdorf was dropped as a face of L’Oréal Paris after making comments about racial discrimination and “the racial violence of white people” in the wake of the Charlottesville attacks. Now, three years later, she is on the French beauty conglomerate’s board of diversity after calling the brand out for its response to the Black Lives Matter movement and its past treatment of her, for which it has since apologised. Bergdorf is proof that speaking up for what you believe in can provoke real change.
Dawn Butler, Labour MP
In 2005, Dawn Butler became the third black woman MP, and was the first, in 2009, to speak at the Commons despatch box. Throughout her career, she has consistently spoken up for the underrepresented, and highlighted instances of racial discrimination in society – and politics. In June, Butler made an impassioned speech in the Commons, telling the government now is the time for it “to get its knee off the neck of the black, African Caribbean, Asian minority ethnic communities”. Her vocal support and defence of the Black Lives Matter protests resulted in threats to her safety, and she was forced to close her constituency office. But after 15 years as an MP, her voice is only getting louder.
Michaela Coel, Writer and actor
Based on her own experience of sexual assault, Michaela Coel’s 12-part series I May Destroy You was a TV revelation when it was released to great acclaim in June. Hailed for its writing and performances, as well as its deft handling of issues surrounding consent, the show has proved Coel to be that rarest of things: a truly original creative force.
Pippa Crerar, Journalist
If Downing Street thought the story of Dominic Cummings flouting lockdown rules was of little interest to the public, the Daily Mirror’s political editor Pippa Crerar – who broke the story alongside The Guardian’s Matthew Weaver – knew otherwise. The media storm that followed saw female journalists, such as Beth Rigby and Sophy Ridge of Sky News notably taking Cummings and co to task. It remains to be seen what lasting damage Crerar’s scoop has done to his reputation.
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Actor
When Normal People, the television adaptation of Sally Rooney’s publishing phenomenon, landed on BBC Three this April, it catapulted Daisy Edgar-Jones (and co-star Paul Mescal) to stardom. As Marianne, the 22-year-old captivated audiences – 28 million and counting requests have been made to watch the series, a record for the channel. But the marker of a true new TV icon? A much-imitated hairstyle. Marianne’s fringe is the Rachel cut of 2020.
Bernardine Evaristo, Novelist
Bernardine Evaristo published her first novel in 1994, but it was only with her 2019 Booker win (split with Margaret Atwood) for Girl, Woman, Other that her stories of the black British experience found their way into the mainstream. In June, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, came another double-edged milestone, when she topped the UK paperback fiction chart, making her the first woman of colour to do so. Widely respected, she makes incisive demands that are impossible to ignore.
Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy chief medical officer
Since March, Dr Jenny Harries has become one of the nation’s most recognisable faces, her advice heeded by millions. She was appointed to the role of deputy chief medical officer last July, but nobody could have predicted she’d be leading the nation through a pandemic so soon. Although she’s faced criticism, she has been praised for her common-sense approach and is one of a handful of senior female advisors to have addressed the country.
Prof Sarah Gilbert, Vaccinologist
As the world races to find a Covid-19 vaccine, it is the UK, and the University of Oxford, that has emerged as the frontrunner. Helming the development is professor of vaccinology Sarah Gilbert, who has our collective gaze of hope trained on her. At the time of writing, 8,000 people have been vaccinated in the UK trial, with half receiving the new ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine and half receiving the control vaccine. “We can’t put an exact timeline on completing the process,” Gilbert tells Vogue, “but it certainly could be October.” Does she think being in the spotlight has helped her sector? “Judging by the letters I have received from aspiring scientists, it has. Although it saddened me to receive one from a primary schoolgirl saying she has been inspired by myself and other female scientists to believe that she can achieve whatever she wants, despite being a girl.”
Steph Houghton, Footballer
After the Lionesses reached the semi-finals at last year’s World Cup, women’s football has enjoyed an incredible spike in popularity, in the numbers both of fans and of those playing. As England captain, Steph Houghton is the figurehead of the women’s game and is using her standing to also raise awareness – and put an end to – period poverty. Her return to the pitch is eagerly awaited.
Nicole Jacobs, Domestic abuse commissioner
In the months since Nicole Jacobs was appointed as Britain’s first domestic abuse commissioner in September 2019, the already desperate need for the role has only increased. Under lockdown, Refuge has reported a 66 per cent increase in calls to its hotline, and a 950 per cent increase in visitors to its website. Human Rights Watch has observed the pandemic has exposed dangerous flaws in the government’s approach to ending domestic abuse, and it is Jacobs’s job to ensure that it remains top of the agenda, sidelined legislation is passed and the voices of victims and survivors are heard.
Asma Khan, Chef
Since 2017, Asma Khan has been revolutionising the London restaurant scene, not just with her world-renowned Indian food, but with her all-female team and commitment to training migrant women. Now, Khan is seeking bigger premises so she can offer opportunities to even more women, this time to learn how “to manage and run restaurants, not just work in the kitchen”.
Rosh Mahtani, Designer
Since starting her label Alighieri in 2014, Rosh Mahtani has risen from self-taught jeweller to cult favourite, beloved by editors, celebrities and a legion of young jewellery fans alike. This year, she became a household name, with her talents being recognised with the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. Her delicate, subtly sculptural pieces are instantly recognisable, while her recent charitable donations (20 per cent of online sales have gone to The Trussell Trust) have highlighted Mahtani’s commitment to supporting communities, whether her customers or her supply chain. Sustainable and accessible, it is a true brand for now.
Frances O’Grady, General secretary, Trades Union Congress
In the face of job uncertainty and health risks posed by our workplaces, the role of trade unions to protect workers’ rights and safety has rarely been so important. Throughout the pandemic, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Frances O’Grady, has been front and centre in discussions on everything from furloughing to track and trace. After years of trade union decline, membership is once again growing – particularly among women – and the advent of coronavirus is only going to strengthen the TUC’s standing.
Florence Pugh, Actor
In just two years, Oxford-born Florence Pugh has gone from 2018’s BAFTA Rising Star nomination (earned for her breakout performance in Lady Macbeth) to Oscar-nominated actor (for her role as precocious Amy March in Little Women). Critics have labelled her the new Kate Winslet, while her relatable, no holds barred Instagram account – featuring zealous dance routines and DIY cook- alongs – has won over the internet, securing her position as a poster girl for Gen Z. With a Marvel movie, Black Widow, due this autumn, Pugh’s set for a long and lucrative Hollywood career.
The Queen
On 5 April, as the country grappled with fear and grief, Queen Elizabeth II made a television address to the nation, the fifth in her 68-year reign. Her pitch-perfect message, ending with the promise “We will meet again”, echoing the words of Vera Lynn, was watched by some 24 million people. Even in 2020 – a precarious year for the royal family in other ways – the Queen is still a source of unique solace and support to the public.
Anne Mensah, Vice president of original series, Netflix
As Netflix’s vice president of original series, Anne Mensah’s remit is to bring British-made television to the world. “Netflix can be a playground for the most diverse range of British talent,” Mensah tells Vogue. “Give me your biggest, maddest idea, or your small, beautifully crafted idea.” Last year, Netflix spent £400 million on British content and, she says, that’s only going to increase. Meanwhile, UK productions created around 25,000 creative jobs, and Mensah is keen to nurture the freelance crews the industry relies upon. Undaunted by Covid, her mission is to cement the UK as a major player in the future of television.
Emma Revie, CEO, The Trussell Trust
Since Emma Revie took over The Trussell Trust in 2018, the tally of food banks she oversees has risen to 1,200, as the number of people caught in the country’s hunger crisis has soared. In lockdown, they surged again: April was the busiest month ever for food banks in the UK. Revie’s campaigning to change underlying social policy is as critical as the millions of food parcels handed out every year.
Rihanna, Businesswoman
Musician, designer, beauty innovator – these days, London-based Rihanna uses one word to describe herself: “businesswoman”. Yet 2020 will go down as the year of Rihanna the philanthropist. She donated $2.1 million to support LA domestic violence victims, while her foundation has given in excess of $36 million to fight Covid-19, support racial justice and mental health services. With anticipation for her ninth album at fever pitch, she continues to dominate every industry she touches.
Caroline Rush, CEO, British Fashion Council
It has been a year of reckoning for fashion. From its role in the climate crisis to issues of racial discrimination – to say nothing of the impact of the pandemic – the industry has had to closely and urgently interrogate its practices. At the BFC, Caroline Rush remains key in reimagining the future of fashion in the UK, helping it to adapt, survive and do better – financially, creatively, culturally.
June Sarpong, Director of creative diversity, BBC
Last October, June Sarpong was named as the BBC’s first director of creative diversity. Her job? To ensure the stories told across all the corporation’s platforms are more representative of the public, as are the people telling them. Recently, Sarpong announced a £100 million investment into diverse productions and talent over the next three years, in a bid to help make the BBC “an instrument of real change”.
Silvana Tenreyro, Economist
One of nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee, Silvana Tenreyro is used to making decisions – namely setting interest rates and how much money the Bank of England can pump into the economy – that impact us all. As the committee’s only woman, Tenreyro also serves as a stark reminder of the lack of diversity at the Bank of England, and just how overdue an overhaul is.
Charlotte Tilbury, Beauty innovator
This summer, barely eight years since launching her eponymous make-up brand, Charlotte Tilbury sold a majority stake to Spanish beauty behemoth Puig – after reports valued her company at about £1 billion. Following a career spent as a make-up artist, Vogue’s contributing beauty editor is now synonymous with her bestselling products – last year, a Pillow Talk lipstick was bought every two minutes. She has a legion of celebrity fans (including Amal Clooney and Kate Moss), but it is, as she tells Vogue, her commitment to “taking the industry secrets out of the VIP world and giving everybody, everywhere access to the knowledge I have acquired over two decades” that is the key to her success.
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