25 most influential womenin Scotland

First Minister heads national list of inspiring female figures from every area of public life

Janey Godley, 59

COMEDIAN The outspoken Glaswegian’s voiceovers of the First Minister’s daily briefings cheered up the nation in the depths of lockdown.

Jackie Wylie, 40

THEATRE DIRECTOR With theatre facing a shaky future, Jackie has been busy behind moving performances online.

Kirsten Innes, 39

AUTHOR

Scabby Queen, Kirsten’s poll-taxto-IndyRef novel has impressed everyone from fellow writer AL Kennedy to the First Minister.

Julie Lin MacLeod, 28

RESTAURATEUR When she’s not wielding a wok at her restaurant in Glasgow’s southside, Julie is on radio talking up Scottish hospitality.

Roz Foyer, 47

SECRETARY GENERAL, STUC The first woman to lead Scotland’s trade union movement is bringing fresh feminist energy to a previously hidden role.

Karen Gillan, 32

ACTOR The Inverness-born star, is Scotland’s most bankable movie star with her films raking in £6billion to date.

Fallon Carberry, 35

HAIRDRESSER AND ENTREPRENEUR The founder of Blow Colourbar has brought the hair salon into the 21st century.

Sue Black, 59

FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST The UK’s leading forensic anthropologist analyses bones from crime scenes.

Eunice Olumide, 32

MODEL, WRITER, ACTIVIST The outspoken model has used her profile to campaign against slavetrader statues.

Emeli Sandé, 33

MUSICIAN The Aberdonian star marked the FA Cup final by singing Abide With Me from the roof of Wembley.

2 towatchoutfor Kristen Scott, 15

TIKTOK STAR With 716,000 followers and 33million likes on the social media video platform, the Paisley schoolgirl is one of Scotland’s top influencers.

Erin Bleakley, 17

ACTIVIST The schoolgirl organised protest calling on the Scottish Government to reverse the downgrading of exam results of thousands of children.

NICOLA STURGEON, 50

POLITICIAN The First Minister has had a bumpy week over the Scottish exam results and has a difficult 2021 in prospect but Scotland’s leader has impressed at home and abroad as she guides the nation through the worst health crisis in living memory.

EVERY year Vogue picks out 25 women who are going to influence the year ahead.

And while the Queen, and superscooping journalist Pippa Crerar will be making a mark on 2021, there are a few obvious gaps.

What about Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, praised around the world for her handling of the coronavirus pandemic?

So to show Vogue that there is life outside London, here are our 25 most influential Scottish women – who will be shaping what the nation looks like in the year to come.

Lorraine McGrath, 54

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SIMON COMMUNITY Lorraine got all the country’s rough sleepers in hotels during lockdown and is keen to keep homeless people off the streets.

Jamie Genevieve, 26

BEAUTY INFLUENCER With 1.4million followers on Instagram and 911,000 on YouTube, Jamie is the influencer the big brands want to work with.

Hayley Scanlan, 37

FASHION DESIGNER Fresh from a career-boosting appearance on Netflix show Next In Fashion, the Dundee-based designer has a whole new market for her girly-with-an-edge clothes.

Alison di Rollo, 59

LAWYER As solicitor general, Alison is the second most senior lawyer in Scotland, appointed by Nicola Sturgeon in 2016.

Katherine Grainger, 44

OLYMPIAN AND CHAIR OF UK SPORT The former rower is overseeing the future of UK sport in the aftermath of Covid-19.

Val McDermid, 65

TARTAN NOIR QUEEN AND VISIONARY Her novels have been translated into 40 languages and sold more than 16million copies worldwide.

Erin Cuthbert, 22

SCOTLAND AND CHELSEA FOOTBALLER Erin was named Chelsea’s Player of the Year after scoring in every round of their Champions League campaign.

Emma Revie, 44

CEO, THE TRUSSELL TRUST She oversees 1200 food banks and her campaigning to change underlying social policy is as critical as the millions of food parcels handed out every year.

Dr Kate Broderick, 42

MOLECULAR GENETICIST The scientist has been toiling around the clock to develop a coronavirus vaccine.

Natasha Luwedde, 25

UK’S TOP BLACK SUPERMODEL

Global brands such as Jasper Conran, Dior and Calvin Klein are queueing to book her for shows.

Libby Clegg, 30

PARALYMPIC SPRINTER AND DANCING ON ICE FINALIST The blind athlete is in training for Tokyo 2021 and is hoping to emulate her Rio double-gold medal success.

Susan Calman, 45

COMEDIAN, TV HOST AND LGBT RIGHTS CAMPAIGNER Became a household name after doing Strictly and is now the UK’s most sought-after presenter.

Laura Muir, 27

RECORD-BREAKING MIDDLE DISTANCE RUNNER

The athlete has won four European indoor golds – matching the most by a GB athlete.

Lorna Hughes, 48

SUNDAY MAIL EDITOR

The experienced journalist is the first woman in 20 years to be appointed editor of a national newspaper.