Dame Helena Morrissey DBE — a catalyst for change
The rise of women’s sports coverage in the media is irrefutable and we’ve all enjoyed bearing witness to the successes English sports women have been celebrating recently.
An important turning point in the story of women’s sport was instigated by Dame Helena Morrissey, former CEO of Newton Investment Management and founder of the 30% Club.
A key factor in changing the course of history was not just that her company sponsored the Oxford and Cambridge Women’s Boat Race, but that she ensured the women would race on the same day as the men, so that they would also enjoy the same media coverage and millions around the world witnessed the start of a new era.
This had certainly been a long time coming. Female crews from the two universities first “raced” in 1927 (according to The Times) with “large and hostile crowds gathered on the towpath” objecting to the women rowing. For the first few years, the outcome was not decided in a side-by-side contest but judged on “time and style”.

And right up until Newton’s first — small — sponsorship in 2011, the women’s event had no funding, so the female rowers had to buy their own kit and pay for transport. The men’s race, on the other hand, enjoyed significant financial backing. Now, and with thanks to Newton’s parent company, BNY Mellon, who also sponsor the men’s race, the funding is split equally between the men and women.
For those of us working towards gender equality, this is all reason enough to celebrate. But Newton’s sponsorship also made fantastic business sense.
A new audience is being created as all types of media are recognising the attraction of women’s sporting events and the irresistible characters and stories to be told.
There are certainly plenty of opportunities for others to get involved: incredibly, only 0.4pc of overall commercial sponsorship monies in the UK are devoted to women’s sports. With the glorious successes we’ve seen English sportswomen bring home recently, the tide will surely continue to rise.
Helena Morrissey has also published A Good Time to be a Girl: How to Succeed in a Changing World
