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This year’s International Women’s Day theme, "Give to Gain", celebrates the power of generosity — reminding us that when we lift others, we all move forward.

The campaign calls on individuals and organisations to recognise that sharing knowledge, support, and opportunities is not a loss, but a catalyst for collective progress. In journalism, where collaboration and mentorship are vital, this message resonates more than ever.

In this spirit, we wanted to spotlight women who have given so much to us, our community and the industry as a whole. We recognise the doors they've opened, the conversations they've started and the inspiration they've provided.

Let's be realistic. There are too many amazing women working in journalism to name in one article. We've chosen 20, but there could be umpteen more. These are just a few of our top picks of trailblazing women journalists – in no particular order – but feel free to let us know who is worthy of a spotlight in the comment section below.

Rozina Breen, director of editorial [global], The Pulitzer Centre

Rozina Breen is the person I learned the term 'life as you climb' from. A career as a c-suite media leader – more than a decade with the BBC – before roles at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and now with The Pulitzer Centre, has been shaped by providing the type of opportunities for others she had to fight hard tooth and nail for herself.

Marie Colvin, war correspondent

Marie Colvin was an American war correspondent who was killed in Syria in 2012 with French photographer Rémi Ochlik, in what was later found to be a targeted attack on the press by the Syrian government.

Her legacy lives on through the Marie Colvin Journalists Network, which organises various initiatives designed to support women journalists working in the Arab world.

Hannah Storm, media consultant and freelance journalist

A media consultant specialising in journalism safety, press freedom and resilience. Hannah has helped to advance the mental health conversation in journalism by being vulnerable about her own mental health journey.

I'll never forget how she stood on stage at the Society of Editors event – a room of some of the most influential people in UK news – and laid bare her own PTSD diagnosis, linked to her experiences reporting on humanitarian crises and being a survivor of sexual assault.

Leona O'Neill, founder and director, Mediastrong

The same applies to Leona O'Neill, a university lecturer at Ulster University in Northern Ireland. She has been open about her experiences with PTSD as well, having witnessed the murder of a colleague in the field. It prompted her to start Mediastrong, a mental health and wellbeing movement in journalism. Look out for their events and initiatives.

Kassy Cho, founder, Almost

A pioneering journalist for social storytelling, who is building the youth-led, social-first newsroom, Almost. Kassy Cho is raising the flag for independent media publishers who find themselves vulnerable to strike actions on social platforms.

Catch Kassy at our next Newsrewired conference on 14 May, London.

Luba Kassova, co-founder and director, AKAS

A media consultant specialising in diversity, equity and inclusion. Luba Kassova continues to hold the industry to better standards and be a champion for underrepresented voices. Check out her ground-breaking Missing Perspectives report: exposing how news coverage's blissful ignorance of structural inequality within the Grammys.

Anita Zielina, CEO, Better Leaders Lab

There are few better thought leaders in journalism than Anita Zielina when it comes to newsroom management, sustainable transformation and emerging technology - and how the three are interlinked. But I particularly appreciate her normalisation of the harder juggling act of parenthood and careers.

She founded her own media strategic advisory firm, Better Leaders Lab, while acting as a media board leaders at Mediahuis, FUNKE and News Product Alliance.

Lucy Kueng, media advisor

Strategic advisor, researcher and author Lucy Kueng has been providing media organisations with insights on building success in the times of high disruption. She is a highly sought-after speaker and has delivered our Newsrewired keynotes on several occassions.

Lucy is the author of many influential books and papers, including the third edition of her groundbreaking title "Strategic Management in the Media: Theory to Practice"

Lisa MacLeod, director, FT Strategies

A genuine expert on digital transformation, content monetisation and subscription funnels. Lisa MacLeod leads FT Strategies, the consultancy arm of the FT, which consistently produces ground-breaking research, initiatives and events. She has also been a stalwart supporter of JournalismUK's ongoing transformation.

Mili Semlani, co-founder, DoorDesi

A media consultant specialising in community building, Mili Semlani has been a personal source of wisdom for this community editor as he's attempting to build something useful. I'm keeping one eye on her current project, DoorDesi, a vibrant community for the Indian diaspora.

Harriet Meyer, founder, AI for Media

In her own words, a seasoned journalist who has "become somewhat obsessed with AI". What I appreciate about Harriet Meyer is her no-nonsense and instructive posts, which is much-needed balance in the current AI craze. A worthwhile follow for your LinkedIn feeds.

Sofia Delgado, audience development consultant

Sofia Delgado led a cross-functional department at Metro driving innovation right across the newsroom and all the major touch points: SEO, social platforms, newsletters, video and audience growth. She left Metro at the end of the last year to venture into consultancy – if your audience growth strategy needs a revamp, give her a nudge.

Eleanor Mills, founder, Noon

Noon, aka the home of the "Queenager", serves women in midlife as they navigate new challenges in careers, relationships and money. Eleanor Mills leads an organisation totally on the pulse of what her community needs: meet-ups and retreats, jobs boards and directories, powerful research and a space to own their own narrative. She also published a book, Much More To Come, telling her own story and offering a guide to others.

Erika Marzano, audience development manager, DW

One of our super fans and a true newsroom innovator, leading Deutsche Welle's audience growth strategy across TikTok and X in its 30+ language verticals. Erika Marzano is someone who consistent shares her insights and experience with the industry. For me personally, she has consistently helped shape our strategy and contributed to our community spotlight section.

Catch Erika at our next Newsrewired conference on 14 May, London.

Jem Collins, founder and director, Journo Resources

Jem Collins founded Journo Resources, a social enterprise designed to help journalists at all stages of their career advance up the ladder. She has fought hard for job recruiters to stop posting "DoE" under the salary bracket (her jobs board has a policy against non-transparent salaries). But her site also posts range of valuable resources, like mentoring opportunities and freelance rates of pay.

Now studying on the JLeaders programme at the University of Central Lancashire, if you see her posting a call out for a focus group, be sure to spare her some of your time.

Esther Kezia Thorpe, editorial and events director, Media Voices

As someone on a three-person team, I can really appreciate how much work the Media Voices team puts on throughout the year. Esther Thorpe is one of the co-hosts of the Publisher Podcast (formerly Media Voices podcast), and the organiser of the Publisher Podcast and Newsletter awards, and the Publisher Summit.

As it happens, applications and dates just opened up. Take a gander:

Publisher Podcast Awards | deadline 10 April

Publisher Newsletter Awards | deadline 24 April

Publisher Summit | 8 July, London

Sophia Smith Galer, digital journalist

What hasn't Sophia Smith Galer done? A digital journalist, TikTok phenomenon, author, scriptwriting app creator, media researcher, and oh, she just launched a new podcast. It's hard to imagine how many journalists she's inspired, but she's been consistently ahead of the curve.

Rachel Duffy, head of community, The Times

Rachel Duffy is one of the top minds at utilising Reddit for news publishers, having spearheaded the strategy at The Telegraph, and recently brought her experience over to The Times.

She's also creating an invaluable space for emerging journalists in the Young Journalist Network she founded, offering networking events, career accelerators and mentorship opportunities.

Catch Rachel at our next Newsrewired conference on 14 May, London.

Kiran Nazish, founder, The Coalition for Women in Journalism

A veteran foreign correspondent who set up The Coalition for Women In Journalism, which supports women and LGBTQ+ journalists globally through press freedom advocacy work, mentorship, research and frontline resources. It is a non-profit organisation with the single goal of protecting and supporting women colleagues working in dangerous reporting zones.

Lucy O'Brien, deputy audience editor, Guardian

Lucy O'Brien knows her way around social and digital platforms from her roles at The Times before a recent move to Guardian. Her own TikTok account is dedicated to passing on digital wisdom to emerging journalists and helping them break into the industry.

Two more honourable mentions

I'm lucky enough to work with two incredible women: Marcela Kunova and Ophelia Birch.

Marcela does just about everything at JournalismUK. She's a one-of-a-kind powerhouse. She took over the company last year and has steered us through a massive transformation project. There aren't enough superlatives for her.

Ophelia is our unsung hero and coding mastermind. Replatforming a 20-year-old bespoke website is not for the faint hearted, and Ophelia is the one that has made sure everything you see works properly. She also looks after the training side of the business and writes our Inside Journalism Careers newsletter every week.

This article was first published on 10 March 2025 and was updated on 6 March 2o26 by Jacob Granger with new names and information

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