International Women’s Day: Celebrating women in the vegan movement

Vegan Society staff and volunteers share how they help to make the world more vegan and highlight other inspirational women in the movement

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global movement celebrating the achievements of women. Established in 1911, the day is also an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of empowering women and highlighting the challenges still faced. We are celebrating International Women’s Day 2025 by interviewing our very own staff and volunteers, to find out more about their personal vegan journeys, discover who is inspiring them in the vegan movement and discuss what International Women’s Day means to them.

Tell us about yourself and your journey to veganism.

I’m Christa. I work as a musician, primarily as a ballet pianist, a music examiner and a wedding pianist. I went vegetarian at 14 and vegan at 43 after reading Cowspiracy. I see all beings as wanting to flourish in their own right, here with us, not for us. Becoming vegan aligned my actions with my values, and I’ve never felt more at peace with my choices.

Christa, Vegan Society Volunteer

I’m Theresa, the Fundraising and Partnerships Officer at The Vegan Society. I have been vegan for the past eight years. I became more conscious of what I was eating when I was a young teenager, especially when it came to impacts on health and the environment. As my knowledge of the realities of animal agriculture grew, so did my belief systems.

Theresa, Vegan Society Fundraising and Partnerships Officer

I’m Evie. I have been vegan for about 27 years and live in Eastbourne. It was the environmental movement that made me think about what I was eating and the effect it was having on our beautiful world. Whilst at the Green Gathering festival a friend gave me a Vegan Society magazine, and the feature in that issue was dairy. I could not believe what cows had to go through to produce milk for human consumption and I went vegan very quickly after that.

Evie, Vegan Society Volunteer

I’m Helena, Campaigns and Policy Officer at The Vegan Society. I was blessed to grow up in the countryside surrounded by animals, but I didn’t make the connection between these animals and the food on my plate until my mid-teens. My mum is also an animal lover and cut out animal products from her diet after learning about the horrors of animal farming from online videos. I immediately wanted to follow suit and ditched all animal products back in 2019 – making me vegan and thriving for six years now!

Helena, Vegan Society Campaigns and Policy Officer

I’m Nishat and I've been vegan for almost nine years. I have always loved nature, and I was raised to care for the natural world and show compassion to all living beings. As I learned of the destruction animal agriculture does to the environment, let alone the cruelty involved in all industries exploiting animals, I decided to go vegan. As the only vegan in my family and close friendship group, though, it wasn’t easy to change my diet but I soon learned that leaning on my cultural foods (and values) really helped.

Nishat, Vegan Society Marketing Officer

What is your role at The Vegan Society?

Christa: I volunteer primarily as a proofreader for The Vegan Society. I love knowing that my attention to detail helps to spread the vegan message in a clear and professional way. I've also been asked to volunteer as a book reviewer and a media representative. I feel genuinely appreciated by the staff at The Vegan Society whenever I complete a task. Beyond the work itself, there's a real sense of belonging – being part of something much bigger.

Theresa: As the Fundraising and Partnerships Officer I find opportunities to connect our work back to our incredible community whether they are legators, donors, members, supporters or charity partners. I really enjoy showing our amazing vegan community that their support makes a real difference to what we are able to achieve. I also love speaking to individuals who are as passionate as I am about veganism and sharing our stories.

Evie: As a volunteer Community Organiser, I enjoy running stalls at events and festivals. It's great talking to people and helping them make the connection between what they eat and where it comes from and how easy it is to make the switch towards a vegan diet. I like asking people what they eat and helping them veganize their meals.

Helena: I work across Campaigns and Policy, meaning I support the development of both our public and policy facing campaigns and help to increase our political engagement. Every day is different – one minute I’m working with influencers on a social media collaboration and the next I’m submitting consultations to government! I love that I get to work across different departments and with such intelligent and creative people.

Nishat: I work as a Marketing Officer for The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark – the sunflower mark that helps you identify products and services that are certified by us and ensure the use of no animal-based ingredients and no animal testing by the company or on its behalf. My job requires a lot of creativity, and I love tapping into this to show people how easy and enjoyable it is to live a vegan lifestyle with the help of the Vegan Trademark and the 70,000+ products that are certified by us, as well as showing brands how valuable transparency and our certification are to consumers in trusting products that are authentically vegan. 

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Christa: I play drums in Bearwood Rock Collective and love making music for fun. I try to keep fit through fitness classes and weight training, and I’ve just started learning pickleball. I also love spending time in nature, whether that’s walking or just enjoying the outdoors. I’m an absolute board game fanatic and a huge music lover. I also love visiting animal sanctuaries to see animals thriving in a safe environment, as well as attending vegan fairs and festivals.

Theresa: I absolutely love being outside in nature, especially in the company of Wyatt (my rescue dog). It is one of my most favourite things in the world to go hiking on a warm and sunny day. When the weather is not so amazing, I love flexing my creative muscles and doing activities like drawing, painting, landscape gardening, photography and DIY projects.

Evie: I have lots of interests – walking, reading, painting, sewing, cooking – there is always something to do! I also love going to festivals like Glastonbury and Vegan Camp Out and travelling, especially by train. My husband Rob and I have an allotment where we enjoy growing veganically. We also volunteer for the Vegan Organic Network, and we go to a weekly ballroom dance class.

Helena: I’m a big sucker for socialising, travelling, eating good food, reading fantasy novels and exploring the outdoors – I’ve even recently started really enjoying wild saunas and swims! But one of my favourite pastimes of all is when I do my yoga practice – it’s a safe space for me to ground myself and show gratitude to both my body and mind in this fast-paced world of ours.

Nishat: I love travelling, nature and making all manner of things, whether that’s veganising my favourite childhood dishes with foraged ingredients and edible wildflowers from a walk, growing flowers and food, weaving tiny baskets out of bindweed, embroidery or producing films with my husband. In 2019 we made the BAFTA-winning film, 73 Cows, about a farmer who freed his cows (with the help of The Vegan Society!), and we’re currently working on documentaries about rewilding and an animal sanctuary in Spain. 

Who is a vegan woman who inspires you, and why?

Christa: I find Melanie Joy incredibly inspiring. Her work in vegan advocacy, particularly around the concept of carnism, is so powerful. She speaks the truth with such clarity while maintaining deep empathy and understanding for those who haven't yet made the connection. Rather than shaming people, she focuses on building bridges and fostering real conversations. Her approach is rooted in compassion, making her message so much more impactful. I think everyone could learn a lot from reading her books.

Theresa: Jane Goodall is an amazing individual and certainly walks the walk when it comes to her beliefs as an animal rights advocate and conservationist. She pursued her dreams and made her own mark in primatology – an almost entirely male-dominated field, especially in the 1960s – without any formal training but with a steadfast passion and love for animals. Jane inspires me to pursue my own passions knowing my contributions will add value wherever I place them.

Evie: I am inspired by Dr Ishani Roe. She is instrumental in Buckets of Love – initially created to raise money for homeless people in London and now focusing on running fundraising events. I’m also inspired by Rose Orion, one half of the philosophical folk band Mobious Loop. The band's mission is to spread positive vibrations and promote humanist spirituality, vegan philosophy and democracy through their songs. Rose is also an amazing artist.

Helena: I really admire Greta Thunberg. She’s a real trailblazer and has inspired so many with her animal advocacy and environmental activism. I respect her bravery and tenacity to do what needs to be done and say what needs to be said – especially to those who need to hear it most. On the tough days where I feel like the world isn’t getting any better, I think of her resilience through it all, and it inspires me to keep going.

Nishat: I admire Mana Shamshiri, founder of the food blog The Iranian Vegan. Mana’s visually stunning videos always leave me feeling inspired and enriched – they are brimming with her passion for sustainability, compassionate cooking, authentic flavours and the history and context about her Iranian heritage. Every video ends with the warm hug of a tagline ‘noosh-e joon’ (‘may it nourish your soul’) – a beautiful reminder that the food we put into our bodies must align with our conscience and spirit, too.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

Christa: International Women’s Day is a moment to celebrate the achievements of women everywhere – the progress we’ve made, the barriers we’ve broken and the resilience we continue to show. But it’s also a day to acknowledge how far we still have to go. For me, this day is not just about human experiences but also about reflecting on the wider injustices that mirror our struggles. The dairy industry is one such example – where mothers are exploited, their autonomy stripped away and their bonds with their young severed. The way we treat female animals, particularly dairy cows, highlights the deep-rooted issue of viewing females – human or otherwise as resources rather than individuals.

Theresa: For me, International Women's Day is such an important opportunity to celebrate women and recognise our contributions, strengths and worth in society. It is also a reminder of the work that previous generations of women have done to afford the rights women have today. Throughout history and across many cultures, women have not been allowed to enjoy the same opportunities as men – and although we have come a long way there is still so much work to do to create the gender parity we wish to see in the world.

Evie: It’s a day to celebrate women's achievements and also highlight gender inequalities that still exist and are accepted as normal. By raising awareness about these inequalities, we can create change for a fairer and more equal world for all – human and non-human.

Helena: International Women’s Day ignites a fire in me! I love seeing women being lifted up and given a well-deserved platform to celebrate their achievements and being able to reflect on how far we have come. I’m reminded of the strong women in my life who I both cherish and admire and how I couldn’t possibly have become the person I am today without them. But the day is also a stark reminder of the struggles we still face as women and how important it is to keep pushing for the equality we deserve. Progress is still being made, and we are on the road to having women everywhere respected, valued and celebrated, just as we always should be.

Nishat: For me, International Women’s Day is about appreciating the hardships, sacrifices and achievements of women (today and historically) against the odds in a male-dominated world. It’s also about highlighting how far we have yet to go and the fact that factors like race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status should be acknowledged to ensure all women are included in our efforts for equality. It’s also a day I love to bask in the joys of girlhood and gratefulness for all the ways I lean on and learn from female bonds and friendships daily to navigate life. 

Visit vegansociety.com/volunteer to learn more about volunteering for The Vegan Society. Together we can create a move vegan world.