Passionpreneur of the year: Emily Wilson, I Rise International

Emily is a Co-founder and CEO of Irise International. She is also an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield and an expert in menstrual health.

In 2011, Emily was doing research with school children in East Africa to identify reasons why they were missing school. Periods came up again and again but at the time there was nothing to help girls overcome this challenge. Irise was founded to create a world where no girl was held back by something as simple, and fundamental as her period.

Since its launch, Irise International has rapidly grown from a group of young women in the UK and Uganda with no connections or funding into an international NGO with 16 staff across two continents, reaching over 100,000 girls and working with governments, academics, and communities to realize their vision.

In 2019 they received the Power Together Award from the Global Women Political Leaders Forum in recognition of their contribution to building a global movement to end period poverty and shame.

Empowerment is at the heart of everything they do, and their community is dedicated to its grassroots network of advocates whose passion and perseverance are building a better world for everyone.