about the team

Gulnaz Brennan

The inspirational founder of She Inspires, whose awards have highlighted the amazing women, and men, who have transformed so many lives. Watch the video below for a brief glimpse of the amazing 2019 event.

As well as being a co-founder of She Inspires Foundation, Gulnaz is a Director at She Inspires, Chief Officer of WiN, Director at Community Film, Art & Media C.I.C., and Corporation Member at Bolton College. Gulnaz also authored and masterminded ‘100 Women 100 Stories’ in 2019 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote, and was Muslim Woman of the Year in 2017.

A passionate campaigner for the rights of minorities, with an unshakeable determination to ensure that life opportunities should be available to all – regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity or disability. A journalist by nature, Gulnaz has interviewed a multitude of extraordinary people. Each encounter has added to a burgeoning treasure trove of learning that is now ready to share through the training and campaigning provided by the She Inspires Foundation.

Ray Hanks MCIM MIC

A co-founder and Director of She Inspires Foundation C.I.C., a Non Executive Director of Community Film Art & Media C.I.C. and a contributing editor to 100 Women 100 Stories.

Former Managing Director of the biggest Direct Marketing Agency in Europe with billings of £40 million, Head of Creative & Digital Industries at NWDA recruited the team that oversaw the relocation of the BBC and the establishment of the iconic MediaCityUK, Winner of the Institute of Consulting ‘Best Business Growth’ Award.

Created the first ever TV campaign for a paperback book (Frederick Forsyth’s The Odessa File), managed the launch of the ground-breaking Body Language Bra from Playtex; was a Lay Assessor for the NHS National Clinical Assessment Authority assessing underperforming clinicians; was a Creative Regional Business Adviser for the North West, trained over 1500 entrepreneurs to set up their own business, specialist in confidence-building and managing nerves. External Adviser for the University of Salford, a Member of Court of City, University of London, Trustee of The Monastery of St. Francis & Gorton Trust, a Member of The Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Member of The Institute of Consulting.

Sir Terry Waite KCMG CBE

Terry is a humanitarian of global stature, combining extraordinary courage with both resilience and that most rare of attributes, hope. After miraculously surviving nearly five years in captivity, for most of which he was chained to a wall, he has spent nearly three decades since fighting for the rights of others. Like the hostages whose release he was negotiating in 1987, Terry thinks always about the many who still need rescuing from their personal prisons.

We are honoured to have Terry as our Patron, and congratulate him on his appointment as Knight Commander of The Order Of St Michael and St George (KCMG) for his services to charity in the King’s first birthday honours list.

Sue James

Sue is a UK multi-nominated country star with seven European top ten hits including two Number Ones! As part of her support of cancer charities in Manchester, Sue wrote and recorded the song Shine with staff and patients at St Ann’s Hospice in Cheshire. Sue has recently written and recorded the song Tiny Lives, in loving support of all those who have lost a child. Sue was a finalist in the 2020 Inspire Awards and is a member of The Advisory Board.

Andrew Patrick

Andrew is a former CEO of the British Film Commission, the inaugural CEO of the North West screen agency and the pre-eminent supporter of North West film-makers, leading missions to The American Film Market in Santa Monica and The Cannes Film Festival. Andrew was a founding director of MediCinema from 1994 to 2017, bringing the power of cinema into hospitals. Andrew selflessly supports creative freelancers impacted by the pandemic and is a member of The Advisory Board.

Dr Rebecca Torrance Jenkins

Rebecca has a PhD in Cognitive Neuro Education and is a founding director of the Neurofiles project, demonstrating outstanding results across Primary schools in the north. Rebecca has produced a series of videos on Managing Stress and multiple vlogs on the fascinating ways in which our brains work. Rebecca is the co-author of the book ‘Pain and The Brain’, for the 1.5 billion people suffering from chronic pain, to be published in 2021. Rebecca was a Highly Commended Award Winner in the 2019 Inspire Awards and is a member of The Advisory Board.

Sohini Roychowdhury

Sohini is an Indian dancer, choreographer, visionary, philosopher and professor of Natyashastra. She is the founder of Sohinimoksha World Dance & Communications and Sohinimoksha Artes de La India in Madrid, Kolkata and Berlin. Sohini and her multinational Sohinimoksha troupe´s world-view, and mission, is Connecting Civilizations, and enriching lives, through art, music and dance. A premier ambassador of Indian culture for the last several years, Sohini´s performances – solo and with her multinational troupe, have been garnering tumultuous audience appreciation, and rave critical reviews all over the world. Sohini is a member of our Advisory Board.

Julia Hylton

Julia is a Graphic Designer and Co-founder at Furious Lemon Design. She has a passion for helping others – especially female entrepreneurs – to find their visual voice. What Julia does can’t really be taught. It embraces the best kind of creativity which connects individuals and their businesses to their audiences. Branding, logos, packaging, and corporate identity expressed with values that can only come from a unique creative instinct and the love of communication through visual brilliance. It’s a privilege to have Julia shining her light on our advisory board.