Centre • Bath
Women who inspire at Gather Round | IWD2026
International Women’s Day has come a long way since the girlboss era, and so have we. This year’s theme, Give to Gain, is about encouraging women to connect, share, and uplift one another; and honestly, that’s every day at Gather Round.
So we’re keeping it personal; shining a light on the women right here in the Gather Round community, the ones we share a postcode, a coffee machine, and a Gather Round membership with. These women are artists, techies, publicists, coaches, writers and entrepreneurs; women who are curious, creative, and quietly (or not so quietly) changing things. This International Women’s Day, we’re handing the mic to seven of them. Their paths are nothing alike, but there’s a thread running through every story: the power of community, the courage to do things differently, and the determination to take up space.
Jenna Knight – Head of Culture, Carver PR
I’ve been working as a publicist and comms strategist in the music, culture and entertainment industries for over 18 years, and I’m currently Head of Culture at London entertainment PR agency Carver PR.
Over the course of my career I’ve been fortunate enough to represent some phenomenal, high-profile female talent across the music, broadcasting, creator, entrepreneur and culture space, who have shown me that you can be bold, curious, powerful, ambitious and driven, hold important boundaries and be progressive, whilst also being kind, considered, thoughtful and encouraging. I feel lucky to have been in their orbit and a small part of their story.
I feel like I am genuinely surrounded by female excellence in my everyday work life: from other publicists, agents, directors, managers, journalists, producers, stylists and creatives. I see incredible women in so many positions of power, doing remarkable things on a daily basis, and this drives me to only want to be, and do, better.
My work is important to me because it has afforded me, time and time again, the chance to be part of this conversation; to develop and hold such powerful female friendships, to be part of a community and network of women who have offered me opportunities, provided strategic counsel and advice, and to have a whole heap of fun and memories along the way. It’s also important to me that I show my young daughter the importance of finding joy in what you do, and feeling proud, passionate and unapologetic about your career.
Charlotte MacMillan-Scott – Multidisciplinary Artist
I’m a multidisciplinary artist based in Bristol, with a background in murals, digital illustration and design. My work celebrates colour, movement and play. Creating murals has been one of my greatest discoveries. I’m constantly exploring new mediums, but working with paint is where I feel most at home, and where I can be most playful.
There’s something hugely rewarding about seeing my work in large scale after the physical work it takes to get there, and completely transforming someone’s space. My intention is always to uplift and bring a sense of joy through rich, bold colours and forms.
I draw a lot of inspiration from travel, and from Bristol, where I live, which is full of so many amazing mural artists, both male and female. I’m constantly inspired by the many talented women working in this field. Being part of a supportive and connected community where we uplift and inspire one another and celebrate each other’s wins feels incredibly powerful. I love that it’s so normal now to see a woman climbing up scaffolding or operating a cherry picker. I feel very lucky to be part of a community that inspires collaboration over competition.
Emma Wharton Love – Co-Founder & CEO, Spark AI
I’m the CEO and co-founder of Spark AI, where we help creative agencies navigate the shift to AI. Essentially, we help creative people feel confident about a technology that can feel quite threatening to their craft, and we help creative businesses shift their business models. We’ve grown from a tiny team of two, two years ago, to working with over 60 agencies last year, and publishing a bestselling book, Shift – AI for Agencies. It’s been a whirlwind, but the work genuinely excites me because it sits right at the intersection of creativity and technology.
I came to running my own business relatively late. We started Spark when I was 43, and it was a proper mid-life career pivot. I spent most of my career in government, working on things like the future of work and the restoration of the Palace of Westminster. In my 30s, I retrained as a graphic designer and went part-time civil service, part-time running my design studio of one. All of those threads eventually led me here. In my senior roles in government I was often the only woman in the room, which was hard, but I learned a huge amount about people and myself. Going from one of the largest employers in the UK to being an entrepreneur has really suited me. I’m learning something new every day, from what makes a great client experience, to being a good employer, to raising investment. Every day is a school day. And outside of Spark, I have my own creative practice: painting. I don’t get enough time for it these days, but even an hour or two a week still changes my week.
Beth Baker-Wyse – Account Director, Build Hollywood
I’m an Account Director at Build Hollywood, a creative street advertising agency based in Bristol. I spend my days turning paper-and-paste billboards across the UK into platforms for big, bold ideas.
Our sites might traditionally be seen as simple advertising spaces, but to me they’re canvases; places where brands, artists and communities can show up in unexpected ways. No two days look the same. One week we’re attaching beach inflatables to a billboard, the next we’ve got actors stationed underneath handing out free cereal, or engineering a button that sends Jaffa Cakes flying out of the bottom of a panel. If it sounds weird or wacky, I’m probably interested. That unpredictability, the joy of making people stop, smile and share something in real life, is what makes this industry so special to me.
What makes it even more meaningful is the chance to support local community projects and collaborate with artists, using our billboards as accessible public canvases. Outdoor advertising lives in the streets; it belongs to everyone who walks past it. Being part of shaping that landscape, especially in a creative city like Bristol, feels like a privilege.
As a woman in what can still be a male-dominated space, from media owners to production yards, I’m proud to bring a different perspective to the table. Early in my career, I sometimes felt I had to prove I could handle the scale, pace and commercial pressure of large-format campaigns. Over time, I’ve realised that the qualities often undervalued in our industry; empathy, collaboration, instinct; are actually superpowers. They help build trust with clients, nurture partnerships with artists, and create work that resonates beyond a sales message.
International Women’s Day is a reminder that there’s no single way to lead, create or succeed. For me, being a woman in street advertising means embracing both the strategic and the playful; being confident enough to champion the big ideas, and curious enough to say yes to the strange ones. It means showing younger women entering the industry that you can take up space, literally on billboards across the country, and do it on your own terms.
Lucia Fontaina-Powell – Copywriter, Strategist & Transformative Coach
What I do doesn’t fit into one neat box; intentionally so!
I spent the first chapter of my career climbing the ladder in early-stage startup marketing. Only the closer I got to the top, the less I liked what I found. The hours were long, the drama was high, and the responsibilities of management left little room for the creativity that drew me to startup marketing in the first place. So I decided to jump off the ladder.
Since then, I’ve been building a portfolio career where I do two different things. Firstly, I went freelance as a copywriter and strategist to get back to my creative roots; I now help purpose-led brands to find their voice and find their people. Secondly, I retrained as a transformative coach and started my business, More To Life, where I work with recovering high achievers at a crossroads and independent spirits navigating the “self” bit of self-employment.
Essentially, I support people who are wrestling with the same big, juicy questions that have shaped my own path: how can my career support all the things that are important to me, like balance, freedom, creativity, purpose, impact, and, let’s not forget, paying the bills? To what extent is work part of my identity? And how can I make sure that I don’t give so much to my work that I forget to enjoy life?
I think more of us are questioning what our careers mean to us, and how they support the lives we want to live. This is especially true for creatives, who are naturally curious and can find traditional corporate environments constraining; and for women, who face a different set of considerations in how life and work intersect: menstrual cycles, hormonal transitions, child-rearing. I’m fascinated by the rich territory this provides for exploration, when we decide that our careers are less about climbing, and more about designing. Working in a community like Gather Round, I know I’m not the only one reimagining what this could look like.
🔗 Instagram | LinkedIn | Coaching Website | Substack
Eleanor Re’em – Software Engineer, Chayn
I build technology at Chayn, a global non-profit tackling gender-based violence. My work means creating digital tools for survivors; exploring whether feminist AI is possible, building multilingual healing platforms, and filling gaps that frontline services can’t reach.
I became a software engineer in 2015 during the tech hiring boom, but after years in male-dominated environments, I felt unmotivated and insecure. Five years ago, I nearly quit; a common story for women in engineering. I’ve never been super career-driven; I’ve always prioritised work-life balance and diverse lived experience. I chose software engineering not because I fit the tech nerd archetype who loves to code, but because it combines creativity, challenge, and problem-solving; three things I love. Searching for better balance, I took a pay cut in my mid-20s for a 4-day week so I could coach women’s rowing in London.
When I joined Chayn in 2021, that flexibility and the 4-day week was already the norm. Working in a women-led organisation where breastfeeding during meetings is unremarkable and life outside work is respected has been transformative. I even completed an Art Foundation alongside my role. It’s hard to imagine leaving.
Kiera Fitzgerald – Lecturer & PhD Student
I’m a Lecturer at University College London, and I’m completing a PhD in English Literature that explores women’s experiences in history through works of fiction and biography. Growing up in a family that encouraged curiosity and never placed limits on what I could become, studying both English Literature and History felt like a natural career path. My work now sits somewhere between literature studies, gender history, and social history, and I adore what I do.
Entering the academic workforce, however, was the first time I encountered barriers I hadn’t witnessed before. I was once told my emails and manner were ‘too kind’ to be considered professional, yet practising kindness has always felt inherent to me. I like to think I get on just fine being ‘too kind’ and professional; the two aren’t mutually exclusive!
Working in War Studies, where women remain underrepresented, has made my research feel even more meaningful. Presenting at conferences where women are outnumbered reminds me why representation matters; not only in the histories and literature we produce, but in the people who produce them. I’m supported by a fantastic network of women whose careers and achievements continually inspire me, and we make a point of celebrating and championing one another. That support, combined with my love for History and English Literature, fuels my commitment to bringing women’s stories into the light and showing that there is space for warmth, creativity, and kindness in this field.
These seven women are just a small slice of what makes Gather Round so special. Every day in this space, we see what happens when creative, driven, curious women have a place to work, connect and grow together.
If you’re looking for a community that genuinely champions the people in it, we’d love to welcome you. Book a tour with our community managers and come and see what we’re all about.
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This post was written by Kristele at Trinity Church.
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