Business and Community
The names here are those of women who were and are involved in a series of commercial and other business enterprises, and who were able, through the impact of these on the lives of their fellow citizens as well as their wider community involvement, became Powerful Women.
Rev Hatty (Harriet) Baker 1863-1947 She was one of Plymouth’s most famous women non-conformist ministers. The daughter of a merchant, she became a Congregational minister and in 1914 was invited to become co-pastor of the Plymouth Congregational and Unitarian Churches. She was, by this time, well-known in Plymouth for her activities… Read More »Hatty (Harriet) Baker
Geraldine Lamb (1897-1967) Born Alice Maud, she changed her name to Geraldine to sound ‘grander’ when setting up her Dance School in 1918, at the young age of 21, with a single pupil. It was a remarkable feat, showing both ambition and business acumen. From… Read More »Geraldine Lamb
Lindsey Hall Social entrepreneur and thinker, she is the co-founder and Chief executive Officer of the Real Ideas Organisation, established in 2007. From 2011 she has been actively working to regenerate Plymouth’s depressed Devonport area, starting with the regeneration of the Devonport Guildhall. In 2013, the Column Bakehouse… Read More »Lindsey Hall
Liz Lawson In 1994, Liz Lawson joined the family firm of Lawsons, which had started in Plymouth in 1904, originally as a ironmongers and tool manufacturers. After a number of developments, Lawsons established itself in the late 1970s as a specialist kitchenware firm. Liz entered… Read More »Liz Lawson
Mrs Ethel Maud (James) Pryor (1879-1938) Born in Helston, she moved to Plymouth on marrying James Pryor, the son of William Pryor who set up Pryor’s Shorthand Academy in Westwell Street, Plymouth in 1888. Her husband had succeeded his father as Principal, but Mrs Pryor… Read More »Ethel Maud (James) Pryor
Jean Rogers Founder and MD of Glenbeigh Group of businesses, headquartered in Plymouth, Jean Rogers continues to provide training opportunities via GHQ, and has become a major provider of opportunities for training in a range of areas, including child and adult social care, hairdressing and… Read More »Jean Rogers
Maud Slater (1868-1963) The daughter of a Plymouth headmaster, Maud Slater was a deeply religious and well-educated woman, who was a passionate believer in the importance of women’s suffrage as a way of advancing causes she considered of importance, including temperance and the better education… Read More »Maud Slater
Suzanne Sparrow Plymouth-born, she joined the Royal Navy as a teenager during the war, operating patrol boats. She later worked as a secretary, before marrying and becoming a full-time mother. But in 1978, she started on a new career path, one fuelled by determination and vision,… Read More »Suzanne Sparrow
Zoe Llewellyn Managing Director and Partner Connectleap Ltd for 15 years and currently Mentor Co-Ordinator AWE Accelerating Women in Enterprise. A force in the local BAME community, she is also a promoter of technological change and opportunities.
Jo Lines A passionate Plymothian, who attended Plymouth High School for Girls and went on to graduate from the University of Plymouth, she is a property expert, and the co-founder and owner of Plymouth Nova Homes Lettings, a leading local letting agency. With twenty years… Read More »Jo Lines