The Woman's Hour 2014 Power List was revealed yesterday in a special programme presented by Jane Garvey and Jenni Murray, and Marie Claire had a front row seat to the action at BBC Radio Theatre. Here's everything you need to know about the 10 inspiring game-changers who were recognised this year.
1. Doreen Lawrence, OBE
The anti-racism campaigner worked tirelessly to secure justice for her son, Stephen, who was brutally murdered in a racist attack in 1993. In 1999, a judicial enquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding Stephen's death was established after years of campaigning by the Lawrence family. It found that the Met Police was institutionally racist.
2. Julie Bailey, CBE
Julie set up the Cure the NHS campaign group after the death of her mother at Stafford Hospital in 2007. She exposed the failings of the hospital, and this led to a public enquiry, which uncovered neglect and abuse, and helped establish new rules to protect patients and hold staff accountable for neglect.
3. Professor Nazneen Rahman
Nazneen is a geneticist and doctor, specialising in cancer and disease gene recovery. She leads two research groups, which have been highly successful in identifying new cancer-causing genes and genetic mechanisms.
4. Carmel McConnell
The social activist founded Magic Breakfast in 2004, a charity that has since delivered more than 6 million breakfasts to children from low-income families at more than 200 primary schools in the UK.
5. Julie Bentley
Julie Bentley has been chief executive of Girlguiding (The Girl Guide Association) since 2012, and has really modernised the organisation, rebranding it as "feminist" and dropping its allegiance to God and country.
6. Leyla Hussein and Nimco Ali
The anti-FGM campaigners co-founded Daughters of Eve, a non-profit organisation that works to protect the rights of young girls at risk of Female Genital Mutilation. They both tirelessly campaign to end the practice.
7. Dido Harding
The chief executive of the TalkTalk Group has urged the government to act on internet pornography and suicide sites, and supported moves to introduce porn filtering in broadband packages,
8. Francesca Martinez
The comedian, actress and cerebral palsy sufferer campaigned to secure a milestone parliamentary debate last year on welfare reform and its impact on disabled people.
9. Laura Bates
Laura founded the Everyday Sexism Project in 2012, to give women and girls an outlet to voice the unacceptable sexism they have faced and continue to face on a daily basis.
10. Caitlin Moran
Caitlin's brilliant work, including the bestselling How To Be A Woman, helped to rebrand feminism, making it relevant to a new generation of teens and beyond.
