Celebrating 20 years of working on all things economic abuse...
2026 marks twenty years since I started working in the violence against women and girls' (VAWG) sector.
Leading the policy and parliamentary function for Refuge between 2006-2011 brought me into contact with women and children using the charity's services. It is from them that I became aware of the devastating impact of economic abuse.
I concurrently embarked on an MA in the Woman and Child Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU) at London Metropolitan University. The course was transformational, laying the foundations for everything I have done since. CWASU introduced me to feminism and it is where I undertook the first piece of research on economic abuse.
Key milestones
2006-8
2006-8
2006-8
Conducted the first piece of research on economic abuse and developed the Economic Power and Control Wheel.
2011
2006-8
2006-8
Created the Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) website to host research and resources alongside the SEA Twitter (X) account.
2014
2006-8
2014
Led a longitudinal study exploring how women and children rebuild their lives after being subjected to domestic abuse, including education, employment and financial stability.
2015
2015
2014
Worked with Refuge and the Cooperative Bank on the first nationally representative study into experiences of economic abuse.
2016
2015
2016
Appointed a Churchill Fellow, exploring international best practice responses to economic abuse and won the Pol Roger award, presented each year to a Fellow who produces an outstanding Fellowship and generates effective publicity.
2017
2015
2016
Established Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) as a charity to raise awareness of and transform responses to economic abuse in the UK. Led the charity as Founding CEO from January 2017 until May 2024.
2020
2020
2020
Awarded an OBE for services to victims of domestic and economic abuse in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
2021
2020
2020
Successfully advocated for economic abuse to be named and defined in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and for an amendment to the Serious Crime Act 2015 making controlling or coercive behaviour a criminal offence post-separation.
2024
2024
2022
Appointed as an Expert Advisor to the Empower Finance Initiative by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) housed at the World Bank.
2025
2024
2025
Co-founded the International Coalition Against Economic Abuse (ICAEA) and organised the inaugural Global Summit on Economic Abuse.
2025
2024
2025
Founded the Economic Justice Monitor which collects and analyses data on how economic abuse features in successful prosecutions of the Controlling or Coercive Behaviour (CCB) offence and which seeks economic justice.