As we mark 100 years of women getting the vote, it’s worth reflecting on how far we’ve come; but that doesn’t excuse us from being honest about how far we’ve still got to go.  In celebration of International Women’s Day 2018 and as part of the ‘Women on Track’ initiatives, we’re featuring five women in athletics; those who are not in the spotlight but are behind the scenes making the wheels turn and who have a huge impact in our sport.

In line with our core values – Respect, Accountability, Communication, Quality, Integrity, the theme for International Women’s Day 2018, is #PressforProgress a ‘call-to-action to press forward and progress gender parity’.

What is your role?
Lead Performance Nutritionist at British Athletics, supporting both the Olympic & Paralympic WCPP programmes and PhD supervisor. My role entails developing and leading a World Class Performance Nutrition service to support all WCPP athletes on their journey to Tokyo. My vision is to drive Performance Nutrition in Track & Field forward through research and innovation.

What woman inspires you and why?
Professor Louise Burke. Louise, not only works as a performance nutritionist with elite and professional athletes, she is also able to carry out world-class research both in the lab and field, enabling her to continually improve her work with athletes but also to share her knowledge with everyone else in the field of nutrition. She has published over 250 papers and has supported athletes at numerous Olympic and Paralympic Games during her career. Louise is also a mum, showing that it is possible to be a successful woman working within the highest levels of both sport and academia – and to have a family!

How are you going to #PressforProgress?
I will #PressforProgress by challenging stereotypes and bias;

• Question assumptions about women
• Challenge statements that limit women
• Always use inclusive language
• Work to remove barriers to women’s progress