Event solutions provider ChangeNOW has revealed the 25 nominees for its Women Shaping Our Future programme, which shines a spotlight on women set to have a significant positive impact on the world over the next 10 years.
Chosen from an shortlist of 170 women, the 25 nominees were selected based on their impact in four categories: climate, biodiversity, resources, and the human factor. ChangeNOW and their partners – UN Women, HeForShe, One Young World, SHE Changes Climate, and Women in Tech – were responsible for the nominations, with women of all ages and backgrounds being considered.
Returning for its third edition, the Women Shaping Our Future programme is a global digital campaign and part of ChangeNOW’s Women for Change Initiative, which supports women making a difference in the world. The initiative aims to draw attention to women changemakers, innovators, and leaders in their respective fields, working to create a more equitable, sustainable, and just future. The campaign runs from 1– 8 March on multiple digital platforms, with selected nominees being showcased on ChangeNOW and its partners’ social media accounts.
“Our mission at ChangeNOW is to find concrete solutions and help them scale to create a better world,” said Rose-May Lucotte, co-founder of ChangeNOW. “It also means knowing how to recognise those who embody the solution and set the course for generations to come. We are proud to celebrate the women tackling the biggest challenges of our century: meet these 25 inspiring women shaping our future and watch them thrive.”
Speaking on International’s Women Day Lucotte told Sustainable Future News: “I believe in the importance of women in creating a sustainable and fair world for all. We need a world where decisions and initiatives are carried out in an equitable way and we need female role models so that young girls and women dare to take on leadership roles.
“In a world where inequalities between men and women are unfortunately still very present, it is essential to dedicate a global event to women’s rights and promote their role in shaping the world. Let’s hope that one day we will no longer need this international day because gender equality will have become the norm and we will have succeeded in building a fair and equal world.
“I am inspired by the number of women committed to carrying out impactful projects and messages on a large scale. The 25 inspiring women that we, at ChangeNOW, recently identified as future leaders in the sustainability space provides a snapshot into the kind of women that inspire me on a daily basis, but there are many more that are not on the list.
They are entrepreneurs, activists, scientists, or artists, and with their personality, their audacity and their convictions, they are role models for the current and future generations of women. They give hope in our capacity to create a more just and egalitarian society,” concluded Lucotte.
All 25 nominees are listed below:
Climate
– Omnia El Omrani (Egypt): The first Youth Envoy to the President of COP27.
– Joycelyn Longdon (UK): Founder of ClimateInColour, an online education platform and community aiming to make climate conversation more accessible and diverse.
– Rhiana Gunn-Wright (US): Climate Policy Director at American think tank, the Roosevelt Institute, leading research at the intersection of climate policy, public investment, public power, and racial equity.
– Tori Tsui (China, now based in the UK): Climate Activist and author of ‘It’s Not Just You’, a book about the link between climate change and mental health.
– Adenike Oladosu (Nigeria): Climate activist and Conference Speaker fighting to address climate change in Africa.
– Kotchakorn Voraakhom (Thailand): CEO and Landscape architect for Koungkuey Design Initiative, which works on building public green spaces to increase urban resilience and protect communities from climate change.
– Heïdi Sevestre (France): Explorer and glaciologist working at AMAP (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme).
Biodiversity
– Kat Bruce (UK): Tropical Ecologist and Founder of NatureMetrics, a tool that helps to measure biodiversity.
– Sônia Guajajara (Brazil): Minister of Indigenous People in Brazil and climate activist from the Guajajara tribe.
– Zaya Guarani (Brazil): Model, conference speaker, activist, and indigenous rights and environmental advocate.
– Akilah Jaramogi (Trinidad and Tobago): Forester, Environmental Consultant, Social Entrepreneur and Cultural Activist, leading the Fondes Amandes Community Re-forestation Project (FACRP) in Trinidad.
– Ulrike Pfreundt (Germany, now based in Switzerland): Interdisciplinary ocean scientist and CEO of rrreefs, which rethinks, rebuilds, and regenerates coral reefs with a novel 3D-printed reef-system.
– Marine Calmet (France): Environmental Lawyer campaigning for the defense of nature’s rights.
Resources
– Charmian Love (Canada, now based in the UK): Social entrepreneur, guiding the development of the Regenerative and Circular Economy Lab, which aims to accelerate the transition to a more circular economy.
– Liz Ricketts (US): American stylist and Founder of The OR Foundation, which aims to fight fast fashion.
– Miranda Wang (China, now in US): Co-Founder of Novoloop, which aims to develop innovative ways of upcycling plastic waste.
– Rekik Bekele (Ethiopia): CEO of Green Scene Energy, a company that supplies affordable, high quality solar energy products to the off-grid rural areas of Ethiopia.
– Julia Faure (France): Co-Founder of Loom, which produces sustainable and ethical clothes.
– Azadeh Farajpour Javazmi (Iran): Founder of betterSoil, a startup which aims to improve soil quality for climate resilience, climate protection and sustainable food production.
– Charlot Magayi (Kenya): Founder of Mukuru Clean Stoves (MCS), which makes improved, efficient, and reliable cook stoves to help eradicate household air pollution.
– Shriti Pandey (India): Founder of Strawcture Eco, which aims to reduce pollution by compressing crop waste into agrifiber panels for industrial and commercial builds.
Human Factor
– Alice Aedy (UK): CEO and documentary photographer for Earthrise, a creative studio dedicated to telling human stories about those on the frontlines of the climate and refugee crises.
– Sarah Mardini (Syria, now based in Germany): Syrian former competition swimmer, lifeguard and human rights activist.
– Adaora Oramah (Nigeria): CEO of AMAKA Studio, a digital publishing platform for female, pan-African creatives to share, monetise and amplify their stories.
– Windi Muziasari (Indonesia, now based in Finland): Founder of Resistomap, which provides a complete laboratory and analysis service for environmental monitoring of antibiotic resistance.
