Our Top 10 Most Inspiring People of 2024
There were so many inspiring individuals making waves last year, achieving extraordinary things and speaking out to influence societal change. We’ve reflected on the fantastic achievements of so many people and come up with our list of ten people in the public eye whose actions inspired us in 2024.
Gisèle Pelicot – Feminist Icon and Survivor
Gisèle Pelicot’s astounding courage to waive her right to anonymity and speak out on behalf of survivors of sexual assault won her widespread admiration across the world. Gisèle is driven by her desire to change society, notably saying ‘it is not for us to have shame – it’s for them’, referring to the perpetrators of violence against women and girls. Her steadfast determination to see shame change sides has led her to be viewed as a feminist icon.
Tricia Nicoll – Founder of Gloriously Ordinary Lives
Tricia created the idea of a ‘Gloriously Ordinary Life’ when advocating for the needs of her two children as they grew older. A ‘gloriously ordinary life’ should combine the tasks of everyday life, with the things that make your heart sing, such as catching up with an old friend, or spending time outdoors. Our managers and leaders discussed this simple but transformative concept of Gloriously Ordinary Lives at our last Leadership Conference held in late 2024.
Sir Alan Bates – Campaigner for victims of the Post Office scandal
Sir Alan Bates is a former sub-postmaster who founded the campaign group that advocated on behalf of thousands of sub-postmasters who were wrongly accused of dishonesty and fraud by the Post Office. He used his voice to challenge injustice and was knighted in June 2024 for his tireless campaigning. A widely-viewed TV programme was made about the campaign called Mr Bates vs The Post Office which was broadcast by ITV in 2024. This award winning programme demonstrates that coverage of injustice and inspirational actions can resonate with the general public.
Alice Tai OBE– British Gold Medal Paralympian
Alice Tai spoke with pride after the Paris Paralympics in 2024, where she won a gold medal in the women’s 100m backstroke, about how she overcame mental and physical health challenges in the run up to the Paralympics. She told the Olympics website: “For me the biggest thing about being a Paralympian is being able to advocate for disability. I really want to break the stigma for my disability, just being here is doing that and I’m so privileged to be able to do that.” Alice was awarded an ‘OBE’ (Order of the British Empire) in the New Year’s Honours for services to swimming.
Chris McCausland – Strictly Come Dancing’s First Blind Contestant
Chris McCausland is a comedian and the first blind contestant to take part in Strictly Come Dancing. Chris explained at the start of the series that he had no frame of reference for what any of the dances should look like. Chris and his dance partner Diane worked hard to overcome any challenges they faced, and they earned high marks from the judges week on week. Chris and Diane’s wonderful routines saw them win the Strictly Glitter Ball.
Dame Laura Kenny – British Olympian who has spoken publicly about her experience of baby loss
Dame Laura Kenny is the most successful British female athlete in Olympic history. In 2024, she decided to speak publicly about her and her husband’s (fellow Olympian Jason Kenny) experiences with baby loss. She has spoken about the immense pressures placed on women who participate in elite sports and who are trying to conceive, as well as the risks to fertility that women athletes face when training at an Olympic level. Speaking to the BBC, Dame Laura said: “The conversation in itself I feel is really important because I want people to start talking,”
Roxy Murray – Disability Advocate
Roxy Murray is a disability rights advocate and uses her platform, such as her podcast ‘The Sick and Sickening’ to speak about her lived experience as a pansexual person living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Roxy has a background in fashion and as an online influencer she has promoted stylish accessible mobility aids. They have said: “As a queer, brown and disabled woman, resilience is both deeply personal and profoundly collective. It’s about the strength to challenge systems that have marginalised people like me.” Roxy was named in the BBC’s ‘100 women’ list for 2024.
Raye – 2024 Brit Awards Songwriter of the Year
Raye is the first woman to win ‘Songwriter of the Year’ at the Brit Awards, where she won six out of the seven prizes she was nominated for. Her record label had refused to release her album, ‘My 21st Century Blues’, for seven years, and she finally released it as an independent artist in 2023 to much critical acclaim. Raye told the Independent: “I’m a young woman of colour who is fed up with being controlled and manipulated.”
Joeli Brearley – Women’s Employment Rights campaigner
Joeli Brearley founded the campaigning charity ‘Pregnant Then Screwed’ in 2015, and has announced that she is stepping down as CEO this year. She is also an author and speaker, campaigning against pregnancy discrimination and issues which impact working mothers. Joeli told Grazia magazine that her advice about starting a campaign was simply: “Harness your anger, because anger gets things done.”
Ncuti Gatwa – Actor currently starring in ‘Doctor Who’
Ncuti Gatwa is a celebrated actor of stage and screen and the first Black and queer Doctor in Doctor Who. Critics have praised his performance in Doctor Who and he has become a fan favourite. He told Time magazine: “I am a Black man, and I’ve just been cast as the lead in the most British of shows. But it’s ground-breaking because it’s the first time, because it’s happening now, because you don’t see it anywhere else.”