Simone is the founder of We Are PoWEr, Northern PoWEr Women Awards and PoWEr Collective CIC, which accelerates gender equality, wider inclusion and social mobility to create a brighter future for all, particularly in the world of work. Simone has created a community of over 120,000 and spans across all sectors, genders and socio-economic groups, creating over 2 million in social value. Simone proudly founded the largest celebration of gender equality in Europe: The Northern PoWEr Women Awards, celebrating role models and trailblazers. Simone was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2018 for services to gender equality. In her early years, Simone has been appointed Honorary Captain in the Royal Navy in June 2020 and then promoted to Captain in July 2021. Simone has been recognised on the Yahoo Finance Heroes List 2018, 19, 20 and awarded the IOD NW Chairs award for excellence in 2020. In her spare time she is a Castellera, wanabee dj and boat dweller