co-founders
Annie Lennox
Award winning singer-songwriter and Circle Founder, Annie Lennox is a tireless activist and campaigner for human rights and social justice. She founded The Circle to give women and allies opportunities to come together to fight for a fairer world for women & girls.
Livia Giuggioli
Livia Giuggioli is co-founder and Creative Director of Eco-Age, a leading consulting and creative agency which specialises in sustainability, and she is the founder of the Green Carpet Challenge (GCC). She is leading The Circle’s Living Wage campaign.
Melanie Hall
Founding member of The Circle and Chair of The Lawyers Circle. Melanie Hall is a highly respected KC and advocate for women’s rights. Melanie has been an acknowledged leader in the field of VAT for many years. She is a tenacious and well-respected advocate, who is respected for her ability to communicate complex points of law to both clients and courts with simplicity and clarity.
ambassadors
Kalpona Akter
Labour activist from Bangladesh Kalpona is a powerful union organiser for garment workers. She experienced poverty pay and abuse as a garment worker from the age of 12. This experience compelled her to fight for the rights of her fellow workers.
Lucy Siegle
Lucy Siegle is a writer, broadcaster and public speaker on environmental issues and sustainability. Lucy has been pivotal in driving The Circle’s Living Wage campaign and supporting our communications.
circle champions
Our Global Feminist Champions are passionate women’s rights activists who challenge the status quo.
Julia Gillard
Julia is the first and only female prime minister of Australia. Since leaving office she has dedicated her time to advocacy, governance roles and writing and is founder and the inaugural Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership. Julia was our inspiring keynote speaker at The Circle’s 15th Anniversary annual gathering and has hosted our International Partners Circle.
Skin
The first black woman to headline Glastonbury, Skin is a trailblazing singer from the British rock band Skunk Anansie, songwriter and electronic music DJ. A global female icon, she shatters preconceptions about race and gender. Skin was featured in our 16 Days of Activism social media campaign in 2023, which achieved over 20 million views.
Mary Robinson
Mary is the first woman President of Ireland, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, founding member and former Chair of The Elders. A passionate advocate for gender equality, Mary is a long-standing Circle supporter and for International Women’s Day 2024 joined Annie Lennox live to discuss the power of global feminism with our changemaker network.
Brandi Carlile
Multiple Grammy award winning singer-songwriter and producer, Brandi has actively supported our work for years through her Looking Out Foundation and taking part in high-profile campaigns and auctions.
V (formerly Eve Ensler)
An award-winning playwright, author and activist, V is best known for her play The Vagina Monologues. Founder of V-Day, a global grassroots movement to end violence against all women and girls, V is a long-standing Circle supporter and in recent years our keynote speaker at an Annual Gathering.
Barbara Broccoli
Barbara is a British-American film and stage producer, best known internationally for her work as Producer on the James Bond Series. Hailed as one of Hollywood’s most powerful women, Barbara is a long-standing Circle supporter, joining us in solidarity from the beginning of our journey.
Deborah Frances-White
Deborah Frances-White is an award-winning writer and comedian, best known for her hit podcast The Guilty Feminist. Her book, The Guilty Feminist (Virago Press) was a Sunday Times Best Seller. Her new book Six Conversations We’re Scared to Have was described by Gillian Anderson as “an essential guide in today’s polarized society.” Deborah is the screenwriter for Bad Fairies starring Cynthia Erivo for Warner Brothers and Locksmith Animation – out in cinemas in May 2027.
Mabel van Oranje
Mabel van Oranje is a serial entrepreneur for social change, committed to advancing equality, freedom, and justice. She has founded and advised numerous organisations, campaigns, and initiatives focused on human rights, democracy and international development. On gender equality, she is best known for helping to drive the global movement to end child marriage over the last 15 years, playing a catalytic role in establishing three key organisations: Girls First Fund, Girls Not Brides, and VOW for Girls. She is also a Global Leader of ‘All In’, a new initiative to end gender-based violence.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a British-Iranian activist who was detained in Iran in April 2016 and was held hostage there for 6 years. She was released and returned to the UK in March 2022. Through her advocacy, Nazanin has become a powerful voice championing women’s rights in Iran and around the world. She is currently living in London with her daughter and husband.
Zainab Salbi
Zainab Salbi is a humanitarian, writer and social entrepreneur who has dedicated her life to women’s rights and freedom. She is the Founder of Women for Women International, a humanitarian organization dedicated to women survivors of wars, and the Co-Founder of Daughters for Earth, a fund and movement of women and girls rising up worldwide with climate solutions to protect and restore Mother Earth.
