TheALLBRIGHT has launched a new annual list of women over 40 who have made their mark in the past year - and Yorkshire TV writer Sally Wainwright is on the list for Riot Women.
TheALLBRIGHT 40 Over 40 list is part of its Power Years campaign and each woman on it has been selected for something she has achieved this year - with many familiar faces among them being recognised.
Victoria Beckham is being recognised for delivering her fashion business’ first operating profit in 18 years, alongside Wunmi Mosaku for her first BAFTA film award and Oscar nomination for Sinners and Sara Cox for taking over Radio 2 Breakfast Show after covering 135 miles in five days for Children in Need.
Yorkshire’s own television writer, producer and director, Sally Wainwright, known for her shows Last Tango in Halifax, Happy Valley and Gentleman Jack, went on to create a new series on BBC One called Riot Women - putting midlife women at the heart of TV.
Her new show caught the attention of theALLBRIGHT as she has been added to the list. Sally was raised in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, and studied English and Related Literature at the University of York.
Throughout her career producing these shows, she has caught international attention and her work has resonated with many people around the world. Through her series Gentleman Jack starring Suranne Jones and Sophie Rundle, she has put the story and background of ‘the world’s first modern lesbian’ Anne Lister in the spotlight.
Her new series sheds light on the various issues affecting women as the five main characters form a punk-rock band to enter a local talent contest, but in writing their first song, they discover they are all very angry about the way society treats women and they channel that anger into writing songs that reflect their daily lives.
They do this all while juggling jobs, menopause, grown-up children, ageing parents, absent husbands and catastrophic dates and relationships.
Other well-known names on the 40 Over 40 list include Dame Tracey Emin, who filled Tate Modern with her largest retrospective yet - including new work about her body after cancer - and Professor Hannah Fry, who brought the realities of AI to a mainstream audience in BBC Two’s AI Confidential.
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It also includes women who are recognised for historic firsts, with Dame Sarah Mullaly installed as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, and Indhu Rubasingham, the first woman to run the National Theatre.
In sport, Serena Williams returned to Wimbledon at the age of 44 after four years away from singles, taking 20-year-old Maya Joint to three sets. Boxer Katie Taylor retired as undisputed world champion at 40, in front of a sell-out crowd at Croke Park and Alice Braham ran a British over-50 marathon record at 50.
While some names are well-known, others should be, including Merope Mills who helped make Martha’s Rule available in every acute hospital in England and Margaret Aspinall who drove the Hillsborough Law through the Commons.
The list covers five categories spanning Social Impact and Public Life, Businesswomen, Science, Technology and AI, Sportswomen, and Culture and Arts.
Managing director of the allBRIGHT everywoman, Sophie Catto, said: “There's a story that commonly gets told about women after 40, which is that the interesting part has already happened. This list shows otherwise.
“These women led, built, campaigned and won this year, and many of them did it because of everything they'd already lived through, not in spite of it. Experience is your greatest advantage and it's about time we started noticing the women putting it to work.”
Senior brand director at UKLASH, Sophia Taylor, said: “At UKLASH, our Never Stop Growing® philosophy is a commitment to self-improvement and growth in every area of life.
“It reflects our belief in continual progress, both personally and in the way we create products and support our community.
“The women featured in 40 Over 40 are a powerful expression of that philosophy, showing that achievement, reinvention and ambition grow with experience. We’re incredibly proud to partner with theALLBRIGHT to recognise and celebrate them.”