Meet the Team
Business and Professional Women UK - generally known simply as BPW UK - is a women's organisation that encourages women to make a real difference in their community and beyond and to realise their full potential in the workplace and outside.
Joanne Kinsey
President BPW UK
Joanne Kinsey was elected as President of BPW UK in September 2021.
Joanne (Jo) brings to the role, her skills, experience and background in finance, advocacy, lobbying, as a charity trustee and in her previous role as BPW UK Vice President Media and Marketing. She represents BPW UK in Europe and as a Board Member of Business and Professional Women International. Playing to her strengths as a social media specialist, Jo also serves on the BPW Europe Merchandise taskforce.
Jo has recently been appointed a member of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women Taskforce against Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation.
Jo is working on an initiative with Amelie LeClerc, a past BPW European Co-Ordinator to send a vehicle to BPW Chernihiv, in Ukraine. This has been an opportunity to bring many BPW European Federations and clubs together to raise the money needed to buy the vehicle and fill it with useful items required to be taken to poor and elderly residents, lacking public transportation, and therefore struggling to acquire food and medication.
Jo lives with her husband and two cocker spaniels in the west country in her home city of Bristol after various moves around the UK and participates in local voluntary organisations.
BPW has given Jo a valuable oversight not only in the world of business but also government legislation, and how it evolves with the input of civil society. She believes that the value of the International Federation of BPW cannot be underestimated, not only in the work the members do in local clubs, but on a national, European, and international level.
By working with women all around the world issues can be shared, and solutions found. As a member Jo has been able to visit other countries and make valuable connections with like-minded women from all backgrounds.
Jo is always ready to speak to anyone about BPW and to understand how we can work together. Why not contact her?
Lynette (Lynne) Robinson
Vice President International
Lynne qualified as a psychologist in 1986 and is still practicing as such. She worked in Banking, manufacturing, service industry and ran her own private practice for more than 24 years. She is also a mother and a grandmother, a daughter, sister and a friend.
She is the author of a self-help book ‘the wise women from Tekoa’. She has appeared on National Television and Radio in South Africa talking about psychological issues. She wrote several short articles on relationship topics and has published some poetry. In addition to her Psychology qualifications, she also has an advanced degree in Philosophy.
Yasmin Knight
National Treasurer
Focused and dedicated data professional and developer, currently pursuing a career in Data Analytics. Trained in Data Science, Front-end Web Development and holding a Masters Degree in International Marketing Management with several years of practical work experience in data analysis, marketing, events, customer service and administrative support.
Extremely self-motivated, with excellent technical skills and an aptitude for creative problem solving. Communicative and personable, will learn and adapt quickly, follow direction, and serve clients with poise and professionalism.
Margo Davidson-Wood
Vice President – Media & Marketing
Margo has the following experience within BPW:
She joined BPW Victoria, Canada in 1990 and has held the roles of President – Victoria Club, Regional Director – Vancouver Island, Vice-President – BPW British Columbia/Yukon, Secretary – BPW Canada OnLine Club, Temporary Membership Secretary – BPW International 2010.
She has held positions such as PA to Finance Director and as Computer Information Centre Manager with Balfour Beatty working on Channel Tunnel Project and other major construction projects worldwide; Market Analyst for Heavy Lift and Crane Hire Company Rigging International Europe Ltd working on such projects as load outs of parts of Oil Rigs; Thames Barrier; MIS Analyst for Bouygues International, Owner/Director of Clearway Computer Consulting and Training Ltd. in Victoria, Canada for 20 years; Market Information Manager/Database Manager at Falmouth University. One of her favourite projects was organising the barge and crane for the lift out of the ‘Mary Rose’ from the depths of the Solent. She says it was ‘nerve-wracking watching the lift out from the deck of a yacht on the day.’ She qualified as a Market Analyst at the Institute of Marketing in Cookham.
She feels that given her 30+ years of experience with BPW she has a good understanding of our core values and principles. Her background in the computer and technology field should lend itself to creating/facilitating programmes and processes to enhance BPW UK awareness and exposure to the women’s movement. During her career, she has been involved in teaching computer skills, website development/enhancements and hopes to put this experience to good use within the role.
In her ‘other life’ she travelled most of her life, mainly due to her father’s occupation as a Construction Manager. This led to her learning shorthand, typing and book-keeping at the ripe old age of 12 whilst in Lourenço Marques (now called Maputo) in a Convent with other students aged 18-24. Great fun, albeit slightly over-whelming at the time. Living with an Italian family in Rome – no-one spoke English except the father, so learned Italian – apparently with a ‘gutter Roman accent’ as she was told at the recent European Presidents’ meeting. Hmm, compliment or insult 😊.
Christine Nendick
Vice President – Advocacy & Lobbying
Christine was educated in York and Manchester University. She then qualified as a speech and language therapist and also studied for the Certificate in Health Service management. Christine then became the Head of Speech and Language Therapy Services for Scarborough and District Healthcare Trust.
She moved on to be the Business Manager for Clinical Professions within Scarborough and District Healthcare Trust. She has since retired.
Christine has been a BPW member since 1971 and has held most offices at club level apart from finance. She was a past International Representative at regional level and Past International Representative on the BPW board as well as a past chairman of The Ruth Tomlinson Memorial fund.
She has since taken on the role of Vice President Advocacy & Lobbying for BPW.
Christine is now widowed and a crazy cat lady living with three Siamese cats.
Ann Wiseall
Office Manager
Ann joined BPW in 1987 and has held office at local, regional and national level, including BPW UK President. Her current role is as Vice President Membership and Office Manager, a post held for many years.
She spent many years in education starting as a teacher at secondary level (PE and Biology) and then moving into the primary sector, culminating as head of a primary school.
A change of career and direction followed as Ann worked on the Government’s Drug and Alcohol Strategic Policy planning, culminating as a Commissioner for Drug and Alcohol services across Essex.
She has also devoted her time to several local charities where she held the role of Trustee; and a school governor.
Ann enjoys spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.
Otoha Hayashi-Hunt
Vice President – Membership
Otoha is originally from Tokyo, Japan where she had also been an active member of the local BPW Federation prior to joining BPW UK.
Born and raised in Tokyo, with Unilateral Microtia, Otoha and her family faced a great deal of inequality when trying to attend local schools instead of a deaf school – start of Otoha’s curiosity towards equality in society! At the age of 14, Otoha left home to learn English at a boarding school in New Zealand, then moved to Oxford to further her education at Oxford Brookes University (BSc Anthropology).
After her graduation, Otoha furthered her professional experiences both in the UK and Japan, across diverse industries and roles, from customer services/relationships to sales, project management, consultancy to operation specialist/management in her current job.
She started her first volunteering activities in university, when Japan was hit by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. As the President of the Japanese Society at the time, she led a team to conduct a series of successful fundraiser events within the city in a span of 3months (https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/8917266.city-responds-japan-crisis/).
Otoha first joined the BPW Japan as one of the interns to participate in the Commission on the Status of Women 58 in 2014. Upon attending BPW International’s Jeju Congress in the same year, she was appointed as the Young BPW Asia-Pacific Regional Representative for the operational instinct and leadership skills shown during the congress despite being asked to project manage on the spot.
She has been a member of the BPW UK (SEW) since 2021 and officially moved back to the country in 2023.
Roles held within BPW:
- Young BPW Asia-Pacific Regional Representative (2014 – 2017)
- Young BPW Japan Representative / Chair of Young BPW Committee for BPW Japan (2015 – 2019)
- Chair of Organization Committee for BPW Japan (2019 – 2021)
- Chair of International Committee for BPW Japan( 2021 – 2023)
- Young BPW Raffle Project Organizer/Presenter (Jeju Congress 2014, Cairo Congress 2017)
- Young BPW Asia-Pacific Symposium Organizer (Singapore 2017, Tokyo 2019)
- BPW UK Conference Taskforce member (2022 – )
- Occasional appearances on the Webinar series organized by Dr Anne Hilty and Dr Yasmin Darwich (2020-2022)
- BPW UK Vice President of Membership (2024 – )