Dr Helen Pankhurst CBE is a leading advocate for gender equality, a coalition builder and Senior Advisor to CARE International UK. She is President of Together We Learn, an education charity supporting opportunities in Ethiopia, and Patron of the Pankhurst Trust. Over the past three decades, she has worked with organisations including CARE International, WaterAid, Womankind Worldwide and ACORD, including many years living and working in Ethiopia. Her work has focused on advancing gender equality, women’s political participation, economic empowerment, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and access to water, sanitation and hygiene.
Helen convenes Centenary Action, a cross-party coalition working towards a gender-equal and more representative UK Parliament, and GM4Women2028, a coalition driving progress towards gender equality across Greater Manchester. She works with leaders across politics, business, academia and civil society to address barriers to women’s participation in public life and strengthen democracy.
The granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst and great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, Helen has built on her family’s legacy through her advocacy, public engagement and writing. She advised on the feature film Suffragette, participated in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games and is the author of several books, including Deeds Not Words: The Story of Women’s Rights, Then and Now. A regular speaker and commentator, she continues to work across sectors to advance gender equality and social change.