September 2026
Women in PR (WiPR), in partnership with PR Week and with support and sponsorship from Opinium and 72Point, have unveiled the 28 mentees selected for its 2026/27 mentoring programme, connecting the next generation of women leaders in communications with some of the industry’s most senior figures.
The cohort brings together women from across the UK’s communications industry, spanning agency, in-house and freelance roles and comes at a time of rapid change for the industry. With AI growth, an evolving media landscape and growing scrutiny, the demands on communications leaders are being dramatically reshaped.
“This programme has always been about more than matching talented women with established leaders. It is about strengthening the pipeline of women who will shape the future of our evolving industry,” said Ginny Paton, WiPR President.
Over the next year, each mentee will work one-to-one with a senior industry leader, helping turn their career ambitions into tangible outcomes. Through individual mentoring, the programme gives participants a confidential space to tackle the career questions that can determine their next move – whether that means stepping into senior leadership, increasing their influence, navigating organisational change, building confidence or overcoming barriers to progression.
Alongside one-to-one mentoring mentees will receive CliftonStrengths analysis to help them identify their natural talents and understand how they can develop and apply them as leadership strengths.
Mentees were chosen following a competitive selection process by a judging panel composed of representatives from the PRCA Equity, Inclusion Advisory Board, UK Black Comms Network, The Taylor Bennett Foundation and PRWeek, alongside members of the Women in PR Committee. The cohort is diverse by design. It includes women with fewer than ten and more than twenty years’ experience, individuals from London and beyond, and women from different ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations and those who identify as being from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
“The women taking part reflect the diversity of our profession and the different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives shaping it. The expectations on communications leaders are growing but we hear regularly how the opportunities for women are shrinking.”
“This work helps ensure talented women have the networks, confidence and support to progress. We cannot afford to lose talented women on the path to leadership,” Paton added.
The 2026/27 mentoring programme begins this month and runs for 12 months.
Mentor and Mentee matches for the 2026-2027 programme
| Mentee | Mentor | |
| 1 | Abbie George, Senior Communications Campaign Manager, Vodafone Group | Chris Allen, Executive Director, Sport & Entertainment, The Romans |
| 2 | Aimee Greensmith, Corporate Communications Lead, Lowell Financial | Doyel Maitra, Corporate Affairs Director, Head of Campaigns, Content and Channels, NatWest |
| 3 | Alex Appleton, PR Director, Idea Farm PR | Natalie Neave, Partner, Tin Man and Managing Director, Dorothy Partnerships |
| 4 | Annie Hedges, Corporate Affairs Manager, Mars | Orla Moran, Chief Client Officer UK, Burson |
| 5 | Becky Wainewright-Smith, Group Head of Marketing and Communications, Readypower Group | Shayoni Lynn, Founder, Lynn |
| 6 | Beth Keeley, Senior Media Relations Officer, House of Commons | Bianca-Maria Cavuoto, Founder and Managing Director, Nineteen82 |
| 7 | Caroline MacGregor, Client Service Director, Joe Public | Sera Holland, Independent Consultant, The Reputation Atelier |
| 8 | Charlotte Woods, Senior Account Director, Ready10 | Laura Burch, Founder, Work & Class |
| 9 | Claudia Thomas, Consumer PR Manager, B&Q | Lauren Pogson, Head of Communications, Evri |
| 10 | Elizabeth Histed, Head of PR and Communications, BaxterStorey | Kirsty Leighton, Founder and Group CEO, Milk & Honey PR |
| 11 | Ellis Orchard, PR Manager, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines | Jenny Mowat, CEO, Babel PR |
| 12 | Erica Domene Firmo, Head of Communications, LinkedIn | Kym Bradbury, Communications Director, IKEA UK&I |
| 13 | Jenny Carter, Senior PR & Communications Consultant, Jenny Carter Communications | Vishnee Sauntoo, Freelance Practitioner, and ‘The Comms Collective’ Podcast Host |
| 14 | Rebecca Stevenson, Senior Associate Director, Kindred Agency | Claire Haddrill, Managing Partner, Ogilvy PR |
| 15 | Madeleine Daly, Press and External Affairs Officer, Sport England | Sam Brown, Creative Director, Freelance |
| 16 | Maggie Eckel, Media Relations Lead, Institute of Civil Engineers | Emily Luscombe, Partner and EMEA Communications Agency Lead, ERM |
| 17 | Maria Carton, PR Manager, Wax London | Steve Strickland, ECD, One Green Bean, (Co-founder, Talker Tailor Trouble Maker) |
| 18 | Marianela Sobrero, Group Corporate Communications Manager, Radius | Effie Kanyua, Founder, We Are Warriors PR & LILA Assistant |
| 19 | Michelle Conlin, Communications Manager, Royal Society of Edinburgh | Lauren Gillen, UK Managing Director, We. Communications |
| 20 | Naomi Sterling-Wilson, Head of Stakeholder Advocacy and Engagement, Transport for London | Sophia Lahey, Regional PR Manager Europe, Qatar Airways |
| 21 | Natalie Calvert, Associate Director, WPR | Rosie Bannister, CEO, onebite |
| 22 | Nneoma Ulu, Director, Brand PR, Influence & Partnerships, Bacardi Global Brands | Helen Mills, Global VP of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Mars Petcare |
| 23 | Olivia Falconer, Account Director, Words + Pixels | Miranda Mitchell, Managing Director, Praytell UK, Folgate Advisor, NED |
| 24 | Polly Clarke, Senior Account Director, Brand Potential | Charlotte McCarthy, Director of Client Services, Broadcast Revolution |
| 25 | Rebecca Jelley, Financial Communications Manager, NatWest Group | Lee’ann Kaufman, CEO and Founder, iseepr |
| 26 | Rhiannon Green, Senior Account Manager, Portland | Amna Ali, Strategic Communications, Freelance (MENA) |
| 27 | Roisin Sheehy, Communications Manager, Association of Colleges | Tas Bhanji, Director of Communications, Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) |
| 28 | Teresa Beeley, Vice President, FINN Partners | Clara Biu, Head of Corporate Communications, Arsenal Football Club |
