Women leaders of Southend helping to shape the city

Ahead of International Women's Day, the women of the Southend City BID board and committees have come together to recognise women leading the way in our city. International Women's Day is a celebration of the cultural, economic, social, and political accomplishments of women across the world and is observed annually on the 8th March. Southend City BID Director and Southend City College Principal, Nicki Kelly, joined with BID Manager Suzanne Gloyne and fellow committee members to mark the day and help raise the profile of the women contributing to business in the city centre. Nicki Kelly says “International Women's Day is a powerful reminder of the incredible women leading the way in Southend. It's also a call to action—more women deserve a seat at the table where decisions are made. Leadership is strong, but there's room for more!

The focus of International Women's Day this year is the need to ‘Accelerate Action’ by taking decisive steps that address the barriers and biases faced by women to achieve gender equality, faster. Emily Vermont, Southend City BID committee member and owner of IndiRock, says “I have recently joined the committee at Southend City BID and am keen to help raise the profile and voices of the independents in our city centre, especially those that are woman run. I’m proud to have celebrated IndiRock's third anniversary this month and will continue to offer support so others can reach these milestones for the benefit of the whole community. The women on Southend City BID committee also includes Inspector Jane Childs from the Community Policing team along with Nadine Willet; McDonald's Manager, Michelle De Vigne; Royals Shopping Centre Manager, Stacie Smith; Social Media Executive at Revive Digital, Zoe Manning; Campus Manager at the University of Essex, Alison Dewey; Head of Culture and Tourism Strategy at Southend City Council, and Emma Dadswell; Director of Toys ‘n’ Tuck. If you are a BID member and would like to be involved in one of the committees then get in touch at Hello@SouthendBID.com.