Social Impact Entrepreneur | Innovator | Collaborator
Named one of the five most Inspirational Women of the Year 2025 by Daily Mail and Marks & Spencer, Gulnaz Brennan is an entrepreneur whose true currency is not profit, but impact, dignity, and meaning. She has carved a path that does not race to compete, but pauses to connect; that does not follow straight lines, but instead circles back, retracing steps until the vision feels right. Where others see obstacles, she sees patterns. Where others look for a market, she looks for meaning.
Her compass is simple: to create work that resonates with values and transforms lives. Everything she does begins with a vision of the big picture. If it feels true, she sets about shaping it with patience, collaboration, and innovation. She does not build in silos; she builds in circles. Collaboration is her heartbeat. Every project is born through networks, friendships, and partnerships — people drawn into a vision larger than themselves, people who bring their own threads to weave into the fabric she is creating.
At the centre of this fabric stand the SheInspires Awards. What began as a local recognition of unsung women in Bolton has grown into the largest women’s celebration of its kind in the UK, now reaching across nations. The awards are more than trophies; they are platforms of validation and visibility, making women feel seen, heard, and celebrated. For Gulnaz, role models are not a luxury — they are essential. They show young women what is possible, they shape communities, and they create ripple effects of confidence and ambition. Winners return as judges, finalists become mentors, and the circle widens year after year, proving that when women are celebrated, entire communities rise.
From celebration came a new call: economic freedom. Gulnaz founded the Let’s Talk Money programme, which began as women’s financial literacy hubs and grew into a movement that now reaches schools and nurseries. She believes that money is not only currency but also choice, independence, and voice. To help young people understand this truth, she created Molly the Money Butterfly — a joyful mascot who flutters through classrooms teaching children that saving, sharing, and spending wisely can shape futures. In a world where financial coercion silences too many women, Gulnaz has made financial literacy a shield of independence and a pathway to dignity.
Her tenth year of SheInspires brought with it her boldest pledge: Empower 50K. She committed to reaching 50,000 girls locally and globally with workshops on women’s health — from menstruation to menopause. Already, her journey has taken her to schools in rural India where there is no paved road, only paths cut through fields. Girls sit cross-legged on carpets, their futures fragile yet their hope fierce. Gulnaz sits among them, teaching self-care, dignity, and health, reminding them that they are the architects of tomorrow. She has already reached 15 schools, with a target of 100, and with the help of local networks and global allies, the journey goes on.
Beyond health and finance lies culture — another strand of her entrepreneurial spirit. For Gulnaz, food is memory, heritage, and dialogue. Through her Taste of Boltonseries, she has curated five recipe books to date, each a collection of flavours and stories that bind communities together. Food has the power to open conversations that otherwise remain closed; it has the power to heal divides. In celebrating local chefs, spice stories, and community kitchens, Gulnaz has used food as a tool for inclusion and belonging.
And then came RISE — Women Leading the Future. Launched in 2025 as the next step in SheInspires’ journey, RISE is a one-day leadership conference designed not as a stage for speeches but as a space for dialogue. Its philosophy is simple yet radical: every voice in the room matters. RISE invites leaders not only to listen but to participate, to shape, and to influence. It is a safe space where women and allies can bring lived experience into the policy conversation, where ideas move beyond panels into action, and where leaders stand shoulder-to-shoulder as equals. For Gulnaz, RISE is more than an event — it is the bridge between recognition and influence, and it will return each year as a cornerstone of the SheInspires calendar.
From there, the path leads naturally to The Academy, her latest initiative. Rooted in her conviction that quality education is the foundation of equality, the Academy will equip women, young people, and professionals with skills that transcend borders. It is a place where cultural awareness, leadership, and innovation converge, offering learning that is both practical and transformative. “Watch this space,” Gulnaz says with a smile, knowing that the Academy is not simply a project but the next evolution of her belief in education as empowerment.
Entrepreneurship, in her hands, becomes a philosophy: to create spaces where women are celebrated, communities are connected, and futures are imagined differently. Measured not in profits, but in lives touched, freedoms won, and transformations made possible, her work is proof that local action can fuel global change.
Gulnaz Brennan is not simply an entrepreneur. She is a reminder that when work is guided by values, shaped through collaboration, and sustained by resilience, it becomes more than business — it becomes legacy.