Meet Britain’s most AMAZING WOMEN!
It’s always a humbling moment in the w&h office when we announce our Amazing Women award winners, and this year is no exception. Through their work, these women are making the world a better place – pushing boundaries, championing other women and saving lives. Their achievements blaze a trail for all of us, so we hope you will enjoy reading about what inspires and motivates them, as well as their hopes for the future. And be sure to share with your daughters, family and friends.
PANDEMIC LIFESAVER
Science & Medicine award winner, Professor Sharon Peacock CBE, 63, from Cambridge, is professor of Public Health and Microbiology at the University of Cambridge and executive director of the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK).
Sharon Peacock’s work during the pandemic had a major impact on disease control and vaccine effectiveness. A world authority on the use of pathogen genomics, she helped establish and now directs COG-UK, collaborating on the genome sequencing of the virus, and identifying and tracking new variants. She has raised £60 million in science funding and trained a generation of scientists.
What does winning this award mean to you?
It means a great deal to be recognised as a woman working in science and medicine, and to serve as a role model for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Science can only be enriched through balanced representation, and this is vital as we confront global challenges.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
‘Women can do anything. Don’t be afraid to set your sights high’
Being the founding director of the COG-UK, which formed rapidly at the start of the pandemic to provide the expertise and capabilities to sequence the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has been a privilege. We needed to be able to understand how the virus was evolving. Through the efforts of the consortium’s members we achieved great things. I am also proud of our Women in COG initiative, which has highlighted the incredible contributions made by women during the pandemic.
Which women inspire you?
I am inspired by women who give back to others, and who create opportunities that enable and include others in a way that is integral to their daily life.
What would you most like to achieve?
I want to live and work in an environment where my values are shared by others, and that support fairness, kindness and integrity in STEM disciplines and beyond.
What’s your shout-out to midlife women?
We have a responsibility to our children and their children to create change so that we and they live in a more equitable society. Women can do anything. Don’t be afraid to set your sights high, don’t forget to lift up other women along the way, and be prepared to speak out if you come across inequity in your daily life.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Buying decorations for our coffee table brings me joy. I have flower baskets at the front of the house all year – acknowledging changes of the season through nature is important to me.
What couldn’t you live without?
Being with family, friends, colleagues and my community.
