Celebrating the Creator/Influencer of the Year Finalists

Jun 16

Creator/Influencer of the Year Finalists 2025

This year’s shortlist celebrates the women whose originality, insight, and authentic influence move both audiences and industries. These creators have turned vision into measurable impact – proving that digital creativity can change conversations and open doors. Meet the innovators setting the 2025 standard for what it means to be a creator/influencer.

Charelle Griffith - CharelleGriffith.com

About:
Charelle is a Chartered Marketer, award-winning content strategist, and podcaster. After a decade in corporate roles, she launched her own business to help small teams with big ambitions attract dream clients and earn sustainably. Charelle also founded a book club that inspires women to dive into personal growth and business reads, channeling her lived experience into ongoing work for women’s empowerment.

Reason for Shortlisting:
Charelle turns free, high-value content into global influence. Since launching her business blog in 2016 she has published step-by-step marketing guides, helping solopreneurs she’s never met. Daily TikTok videos, book reviews, and podcast episodes now attract clients from Italy to Bahrain, earn her LinkedIn Top Voice status, and win speaking invitations across the country. Pairing no-fluff advice with a mission to make women financially independent, Charelle has built a community that learns, implements, and succeeds because of her content.

Livi Arnold - Women in Data®

About:
Part marketer, part graphic designer, Livi turns strategy into scroll-stopping visuals. With a Graphic Communication & Illustration degree from Loughborough, she has grown channels for Loughborough Sport and now leads digital content at Women in Data®. Outside the day job, she posts daily LinkedIn tips, sharing design know-how, marketing tactics, and candid lessons to help others create content that counts.

Reason for Shortlisting:
In the past year, Livi’s content has combined scale with social impact: she grew Women in Data®’s channels by 32.8 k followers and almost 6 million organic impressions, while her own daily LinkedIn posts amassed 852k views and earned her a LinkedIn Top Social Media Voice badge. Beyond metrics she mentors newcomers, offers free CV reviews, and is launching “The Graduate Diaries” series, to upskill recent graduates. By using creative campaigns to uplift women, educate job-seekers, and spark industry-wide conversations, Livi exemplifies the impact celebrated by this award.

Danielle Bayes - Videos Undifficulted

About:
Danielle is a former primary school teacher with a Media Studies degree who turned her knack for video into Videos Undifficulted – a business that shows solo-run brands, especially mums in business, how to get visible with short-form videos, no matter their level of skill or experience. Still a teacher at heart, Danielle blends classroom clarity with real-world marketing know-how so small business owners can turn “I could never do video” into polished clips that attract customers.

Reason for Shortlisting:
Since dedicating herself to TikTok in August 2021, Danielle has posted a Canva video tutorial every week, growing a community of 47k+ followers who tag her in the marketing videos they’ve created thanks to her step-by-step guidance. By fronting every clip as a “real mum working from the spare bedroom,” she models authentic visibility for small business owners who fear the camera. Her TikTok authority now fuels paid courses, 90-minute workshops, and invitations to teach inside leading memberships and summits.

Michelle Stead - Shell Creative VA

About:
Michelle, known as Shell, is a Creative Virtual Assistant who turns female-led brands into eye-catching visuals. After two decades in admin across multiple sectors, she launched her virtual admin services in 2018 and rebranded in 2022 to focus on her true love – Canva design. Today she delivers done-for-you graphics, 1-to-1 mentoring, online training, and community support inside her Facebook group helping time-poor entrepreneurs create digital assets that stand out and sell.

Reason for Shortlisting:
Michelle’s Canva-powered business has soared since her 2022 rebrand. She has crafted hundreds of assets while building a huge Facebook community, The Canva Cafe, where she shares tutorials, challenges, and peer support. Determined to teach, not just design, she launched 1-to-1 sessions, a six-module mini-course, a beginner masterclass, and guest trainings in other groups. From six-figure wins for clients to thousands of learners inspired, Shell’s mix of hands-on creation, education, and community building makes her a great finalist in this category.

The Digital Women Awards are proud to celebrate these extraordinary individuals.