Five Individuals Worth Keeping an Eye On as potential Influencers in 2025
Five Individuals Worth Keeping an Eye On as potential Influencers in 2025
In these disruptive times, economically, politically, socially, and environmentally, people persistently confront challenges that threaten our species' survival, from climate disaster to the constant looming specter of global warming. Despite these challenges, individuals tenaciously respond, driven by a desire to reconcile societal disparities and discover humanity's true potential.
In the corporate sphere, where wealth, power, and fame significantly impact the world's functioning, change's potential is vast. Although Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives encounter some opposition, especially in the U.S., an increasing number of organizations are channeling their purpose towards creating social value. Realizing that a future without a planet or people means that pursuing profit is shortsighted, they recognize the importance of people and the environment to long-term success.
We're still a significant distance from Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks becoming fully ingrained in our organizations or leaders articulating ambitious visions for our collective futures. Until then, we can observe changemakers striving to impact how businesses behave, focusing on treating their internal workforce justly as much as their external users, consumers, and clients.
These change agents delve into the root causes of inequities and inequalities that underpin what and who we value, bringing people with diverse identities and lived experiences together to envision how our organizations can benefit everyone. Through highlighting the economic costs of poor social mobility or the loss of talent from overlooking parents, they demonstrate how broad gains can stem from personal transformation.
Emerging leaders in 2025 to watch include the following individuals, spanning various issues, sectors, industries, and approaches. Whether advocating for shifting attitudes, persuading for workplace policies, or preparing the workforce of the future, their dedication to their respective organizations sets an influential precedent as much as those they collaborate with, such as influencers, politicians, and leaders.
Hera Hussain at Chayn
From her early years in Pakistan to living in the U.K., Hera's passion for addressing global gender-based violence proved unwavering. In 2013, she realized her ambition by founding Chayn, a pioneering non-profit that has since supported over 600,000 survivors of domestic, sexual, and increasingly tech-based abuse around the world.
Adopting trauma-informed design principles, Hera spearheaded Chayn's creation of Bloom, a platform that provides mindful and culturally sensitive online resources to survivors. Bloom has set standards in the tech sector, demonstrating how digital spaces can be leveraged for healing instead of harm through information, advice, and direct chat support. Chayn's success in 2021 led to an influential partnership with Bumble, providing digital safety advice, courses on boundaries, relationships, and dating, and support for image-based abuse.
With implications extending beyond online dating, Chayn's work has an impact on any organization utilizing digital platforms to connect with employees or customers. In 2025, the organization is set to conduct global research into revenge porn, considering various cultural perspectives on intimacy, and sharing how trauma-informed practices can influence HR as well.
Chayn's participation in the 16 Days of Activism campaign, as well as its platforming of other activists addressing gender-based violence, showcases its external value. Internally, the organization fosters space for its team through the annual Winter Wind Down, providing opportunities for rest and reflection, while Hera's experiences leading a non-profit as a new mother reflect the hope-centered culture she and Chayn advocate.
Paul Gerrard at Co-op Group
Changemakers can emerge from organizations of all sizes, and Paul Gerrard's contributions at one of the world's largest consumer cooperatives have catalyzed social change across the retail industry. Utilizing his background in government, Paul leveraged his role as Campaign and Public Affairs Director at the Co-op Group to tackle issues such as retail crime and social mobility.
Accountable to its million-strong membership, Co-op's socially-focused business model creates an opportunity to advocate for local communities and their beliefs. Its slogan, "owned by you, right by you," resonates with Gerrard's strategic campaigning and cross-sector partnership-building, striving to alter laws that protect retail employees from crime.
Retail crime persistently impacts Co-op Food and the communities it serves, making Paul a key figure in a cross-sector alliance that explores the root causes of challenges faced. In collaboration with the Retail Crime Forum, holistic solutions – including substance misuse rehabilitation, restorative justice, and employment opportunities – are discussed, while evidence-based approaches are employed to influence policy and business practices.
In pursuit of social mobility employment, the Co-op Group's new strategy places greater emphasis upon fostering opportunities for those experiencing poverty. As a significant employer of over 70,000 individuals in the U.K., the Co-op has a considerable impact on affecting change across industries and sectors. By publishing a socio-economic pay gap report, the organization leads the retail industry, focusing on closing the gap between underprivileged communities and economic opportunities.
The recent release of The Opportunity Impact - a report produced in collaboration with Demos - underscores the magnitude of the predicament. However, to capitalize on the advantages that stem from dismantling barriers to employment, companies must alter their selection and employment strategy. With dedicated individuals such as Paul within the organization, it's entirely feasible for the Co-op group to climb its ranks within The Social Mobility Foundation Employer Index as a Top 75 employer in the coming years.
Hanna Naima McCloskey at Fearless Futures
For over a decade, Hanna Naima McCloskey has applied her research, communication, and international relations expertise to the DEI sector. Establishing Fearless Futures in 2014, McCloskey's global experiences in diverse environments, including Israel-Palestine, the USA, and the UK, have guided her pursuit of workplace equity and inclusion.
Understanding that organizational change must be transformative, the team offers strategy, training, and leadership support to daring organizations. Companies willing to confront the disparities faced by marginalized genders and ethnicities and endure the discomfort that ensues, reap the rewards of more impactful workplaces, environments, policies, and products.
Frank conversations about international conflict, government policy, and business practices are hallmarks of McCloskey's leadership in this field. Yet, this candor carries over to DEI as a practice area as well. A groundbreaking white paper released this year, titled DEI: Disrupted, tackles the corporate pushback against more diverse workplaces, offering an honest appraisal of the challenges still facing progress.
Highlighting "Deference DEI" as a concern - recognizing that one person's lived experience may not represent everyone sharing the same characteristics, and that diversity of thought does not equate to diversity of identity - can only advance the conversation. Furthermore, the complacency surrounding the exploitation of specific groups - most recently exemplified by the tech industry's embrace of neurodivergence - serves as food for thought.
In 2025, McCloskey and Fearless Futures will delve into the broader DEI landscape, formulating a theory of change that explores successful approaches and the areas requiring improvement. Utilizing technology-driven insights, understanding the intersectional experiences that arise from interconnected identities, and moving beyond a culture of blaming and shaming are all key components of her approach.
Joeli Brearley at Pregnant Then Screwed
While several changemakers bring personal experiences of the issues they address to their work, few confront them with as much tenacity as Joeli Brearley has. Facing maternity discrimination in the first four months of her pregnancy and unable to challenge it due to pressing health concerns, the limited resources available to combat employment discrimination inspired Brearley to establish Pregnant Then Screwed in 2015.
Nearly a decade later, the mission to prevent the detrimental impact on women's careers, confidence, and mental health has led to extensive research, revealing that over 54,000 pregnant women lose their jobs annually, and 390,000 working mothers face negative employment treatment. Through sharing her story and offering free legal advice, campaigns, marches, government investment, and national policy changes have followed in Brearley's and Pregnant then Screwed's footsteps.
Addressing the motherhood penalty - by the time a woman's first child is 12 years old, her hourly pay rate is 33% less than that of a man, contributing to 80% of the gender pay gap - has been a major focus. This awareness has shed light on the long-term financial consequences affecting women and highlighted broader workplace issues.
Expensive childcare costs, limited flexibility for fathers to take parental leave, and tension surrounding flexible working are all topics that Brearley and the Pregnant then Screwed team promote. The 2022 March of the Mummies saw 15,000 parents march in support of 11 U.K. cities, raising awareness of the impact of limiting employer practices and promoting policy changes.
In 2024, Pregnant then Screwed's efforts enabled Brearley to advocate for amendments to the Employment Bill, putting an end to NDA usage in maternity discrimination cases, improving parental leave provisions, and advocating for ambitious changes to flexible working policies. Simultaneously, Brearley plans to step down from her CEO role in 2025, refocusing her efforts on public speaking and training to improve workplaces for parents.
Lee Chambers at Male Allies UK
Determined to drive change from the inside out or alongside, Lee Chambers' business psychology background has led him to focus on men as allies in the fight for gender equality. Acknowledging the need for masculinity to evolve and express itself differently, Chambers founded Male Allies UK in 2024 to support the broader movement for workplace equality.
As a small business that boasts a significant impact, Chambers has dedicated the past few years to conducting in-depth research and testing pilots aimed at facilitating workplace conversations and delivering training in education and employment. Topics ranging from fatherhood and healthy masculinity to more sensitive issues like menstruation and menopause are addressed during the pursuit of inclusive workplaces.
The path to inclusive environments begins with acknowledging the unfamiliar.
Working with children in schools to combat online misinformation and foster critical thinking, and addressing misogyny and workplace harassment within multisectoral organizations, 2024 concluded with the launch of the Mistletoe is not Consent Campaign. This initiative set boundaries for intimate encounters during office parties, and Lee addressed allegations regarding excessive office politics in mainstream media.
In 2025, Lee's focus will shift towards policy amendments concerning social indicators for young males in lower socioeconomic brackets. The objective is to expand the influence of Male Allies UK, aiming to train 50,000 men on gender equity and allyship.
Recognized as a Gender Equality Pioneer by UN Women and selected as a Marie Claire Future Shaper, Lee, one of the key figures in this field, is releasing his first book in January 2025 - Momentum: Unlocking 13 Potential Boosters. This must-read publication is anticipated by many.
As someone keeping a close eye on influential figures in 2025, who would you add to your changemaker list?
In the realm of corporate transitions, leadership and strategy are crucial elements for driving change. While implementing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks and fostering diverse workforces, it's essential for leaders to articulate ambitious visions for the future.
For instance, Paul Gerrard, Campaign and Public Affairs Director at Co-op Group, has shown exceptional leadership by leveraging the company's role in advocating for local communities and tackling issues like retail crime and social mobility. Through strategic campaigning and cross-sector partnerships, he has significantly influenced policy and business practices.
In conclusion, to effect lasting change, companies and leaders should focus on developing strategies that prioritize people and the environment, ensuring that their organizations benefit all members of society. By adopting this approach, leaders can create a more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive future for everyone.