BEYOND THE SPOTLIGHT: WOMEN IN MEDIA BREAKING BARRIERS AND BUILDING LEGACY

Creative Women Platform – Gateway to a Sustainable Future Forum, London, 9 May 2025

At the heart of the Creative Women Platform’s Gateway to a Sustainable Future Forum stood a panel that demanded more than applause — it called for reflection, resolve, and reinvention. Titled “Beyond the Spotlight: Women in Media Breaking Barriers and Building Legacy,” the (dont add timing) session held on Friday, 9 May, brought together a constellation of powerful female voices in media, some with many years of experince and also some dinamic new entererd in journalist carrer , moderated by Rebeca Riofrio — director, entrepreneur, editor, and tireless advocate for cultural equity.

With her signature poise, Riofrio opened the discussion by reminding the audience that media does not merely reflect reality — it constructs it. “And the question,” she said, “is: who’s holding the blueprint?”

Building Legacy Through Courageous Journalism

The conversation began with Liz Perkins, Group Head of Digital Investigations at DMG Media and Night News Editor at The Sunday Telegraph, whose career has catalysed national conversations and policy reform. Known for investigative work that exposes injustice — from systemic failures in family courts to sexism in sports — Perkins shared stories that were at once harrowing and hopeful. She spoke of women silenced by shame, and of her fight to give their stories oxygen.

She recalled a case involving unequal treatment of male and female rugby players — where boys were fed to build strength, while their female counterparts went without — and another in which a woman was sexually assaulted in a principality state and nearly erased from the justice system. “My work,” Perkins said, “is about giving voice to those who are otherwise invisible. But truth-telling in journalism comes at a cost — and too often, it’s women who pay that price.” Her words left the room still and solemn, a shared recognition of the fragility and force of female-led reporting.

From Algorithms to Authenticity

From the battlefield of institutional bias, the panel turned to the digital frontier with Nishma Patel Robb, Founder of Glittersphere and former Director of Brand & Reputation at Google UK. Patel Robb introduced what she calls “The Other AI” — Authentic Intelligence — urging women not to shy away from technology but to reinvent their relationship with it.

“In a world where AI filters CVs, personal branding isn’t vanity — it’s survival,” she declared. “Machines can’t read character or conviction. But people can. That’s where our power lies.” With data showing only 2% of venture capital funding goes to female founders, Patel Robb’s message was uncompromising: “Visibility is no longer optional. It’s how we dismantle systems — not from within, but from centre stage.”

She called on women to embrace storytelling as strategy, noting, “The world is not short of brilliant women. It is short of women willing to be seen. And leadership isn’t about popularity — it’s about impact.”

Redefining Beauty With Purpose

The notion of visibility found eloquent continuation through Olivia de Courcy, Social Media Strategist and Beauty Editor for Harrods Magazine, whose editorial ethos challenges both legacy language and industry norms. “Beauty has long been dismissed as frivolous,” she explained, “yet it’s something we all interact with — whether brushing our hair or putting on moisturiser.”

De Courcy advocated for a new editorial standard — one that rejects the violent vocabulary of “anti-ageing,” “combat,” and “flawless” in favour of empowerment and inclusivity. “Language matters. When we reframe the words, we reshape the perception. And when we do that in beauty journalism, we shift culture itself.”

She emphasised that the future of luxury storytelling lies not in echoing the past but in spotlighting unheard narratives — those small brands doing sustainable work without the benefit of glossy budgets. “Our editorial voice doesn’t need to be softer — it needs to be sharper.”

Editing Tradition with Integrity

A highlight of the panel was the intervention from Samar Abdul Malak, Editor-in-Chief of Elaph Arabic Media and former lead editor of How To Spend It Arabic (Financial Times). Her address transcended the format — part declaration, part editorial manifesto — delivered with the calm force of a woman used to choosing her words with precision.

“As Arab women in editorial leadership,” she stated, “we are no longer just reporting the story — we are defining the framework through which stories are seen.” Abdul Malak reflected on her work across London and the Gulf, and the delicate balance of honouring cultural tradition while challenging its silences. “We don’t silence heritage,” she said. “We edit it.”

She underscored that legacy is not inherited but built — “shaped by choices: what gets framed, what gets buried, what gets said, and what is deliberately left unsaid.” Her closing lines — “We don’t need louder voices. We need deeper integrity” — were met with palpable reverence from the audience.

Art, Ephemerality, and the Age of Screens

Finally, Evgenia Siokos, Editor and Arts Writer at The Telegraph, offered a philosophical lens, questioning whether today’s generation truly understands art or simply performs proximity to it. “Are we loving art more,” “or understanding it less?”

Siokos lamented the rise of cultural ephemerality — exhibitions viewed through smartphone screens, artworks reduced to social media proof of presence. “We must slow down. Stand before the painting. Not for a photo, but for a moment of meaning. Ask what it evokes. That is where love begins.”

When asked how women can leverage digital media to shape legacy, she was direct: “Publish what matters — and be proud of it. Not for applause, but for posterity.”

A Collective Call to Responsibility

In the panel’s closing moments, Riofrio invited all speakers to reflect on the responsibility borne by women in media — as architects of public memory. The answers converged on a single principle: storytelling as stewardship. From journalistic rigour to technological courage, from language to legacy — each woman had shown that media, in the right hands, is more than a tool. It is a torch.

As Liz Perkins warned: “Post consciously. Words linger, even when deleted.” Olivia de Courcy added, “If you wouldn’t say it in a stadium, don’t say it online — but do be brave. Be smart. Say something that matters.”

In a world overwhelmed by noise, these women are not simply speaking. They are shaping — redefining the contours of influence, narrative, and truth.

The Beyond the Spotlight panel was not a conversation. It was a blueprint. And if legacy is what we leave behind, then this was a room that decided — unapologetically — to build it together.