My passion and purpose
From research...
My passion and purpose for working on ‘all things economic abuse’ came from conversations with victim-survivors. I heard how economic control took away their freedom and stopped them from achieving their full potential.
I discovered that there were no practice responses to economic abuse - it wasn't even named in policy. So, in 2008, I undertook the first piece of research on economic abuse in the UK to understand the issue better.
...to creating change
In 2016 I was appointed a Churchill Fellow, travelling to Australia and the US to learn about best practice approaches to economic abuse. Having seen what could be done, I was determined that women in the UK should have access to the same.
Inspired by this international learning, I founded the charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) in the UK which I led as CEO between January 2017 and May 2024. During this time, I pioneered innovative practice, policy, regulatory and legislative approaches to economic abuse. A summary of my achievements can be found here and I feature as a 'Portrait of a Social Entrepreneur' in How To Change The World by Jo Owen.
Taking my mission global
In June 2024 I scaled up my mission to stop economic abuse through building a global movement.
I am co-founder of the International Alliance Against Economic Abuse (ICAEA).
I also act as an Expert Advisor to the Empower Finance Initiative led by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) which is housed at the World Bank.
Recognition
I was awarded an OBE for services to victims of domestic and economic abuse in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours.
In 2025 I was named winner of the 'Financial Safety' category of the 2025 Refuge Tech Safety Awards.
The Haven Wolverhampton recognised me as a Trailblazer for Gender Equality on International Women's Day 2025.