Celebrating the Role Model (Community Vanguard) Finalists

Jun 27

Role Model (Community Vanguard) of the Year Finalists 2025

We’re proud to recognise individuals who are leading positive change within their communities, through our Role Model (Community Vanguard) Award. These finalists go beyond personal success – they uplift others, champion inclusivity, and use their platforms to build connection, belonging, and impact. This shortlist honours those who are truly shaping the future through community-driven action.

Becci McEvoy - Be Heard Socials

About:
Becci is a Social Media Marketer, international speaker, and the founder of Be Heard Socials. Passionate about empowering women in business, Becci helps female founders simplify their social media strategy – focusing on organic growth, content confidence, and realistic, sustainable success. She offers practical support through her membership, podcast, and thriving online community. At the heart of her work is a belief that success should never come at the cost of wellbeing – and that marketing should feel manageable.

Reason for Shortlisting:
Through Becci’s platform Be Heard Socials, podcast, membership, and community work, she leads with her values: family, freedom, kindness, fun, feminism, and simplicity. From setting boundaries around family life to advocating for women’s equality in business, she embodies what it means to lead with integrity. In an online world often driven by perfectionism and pressure, Becci creates space for women to be real – to share the messy bits, prioritise wellbeing, and build businesses that feel aligned. Her leadership may be quiet, but it is deeply transformative – and her community knows it. That’s exactly what makes her a true community role model.

Joyeeta Panja - Glam By Joyeeta

About:
Joyeeta is a self-taught beauty artist, confidence coach, and podcast host who is redefining beauty and empowerment on her own terms. She’s combining makeup artistry, mindset coaching, and storytelling to build a brand that helps women embrace their power, show up authentically, and celebrate themselves from the inside out. Currently studying Psychology at IGNOU, Joyeeta blends her academic insights with lived experience to support women on their journey of self-worth and emotional growth.

Reason for Shortlisting:
Joyeeta is building a personal brand that does more than offer services – it creates space for representation, healing, and empowerment. With no formal business training, financial backing, or traditional support system, she has grown her platform from the ground up. Her work is deeply personal and intentionally inclusive – from creating reels in Hindi, Bengali, and English to offering 1:1 coaching via Instagram and WhatsApp. Whether it’s through her Empowerment Unfiltered podcast, confidence coaching, or content, she challenges beauty ideals and inspires women to own the room.

Lauren Spearman - House of Ren

About:
Lauren is a social media consultant, content creator, and outspoken advocate for better hiring practices in marketing. With a career spanning advertising sales and in-house social and influencer roles at brands like Sky, Netmums, Benefit Cosmetics, and MADE, Lauren has built a reputation for strategic thinking and creative impact across the lifestyle and retail space. Her career took a transformative turn when she began sharing her own challenges navigating the job market – sparking a powerful connection with others and growing a LinkedIn community of over 80,000.

Reason for Shortlisting:
In addition to her work as a social media consultant, Lauren become a powerful voice for change – using her growing platform to challenge poor hiring practices, champion salary transparency, and educate marketers at every level. Through honest and accessible content across LinkedIn and TikTok, Lauren has shed light on widespread issues, sparking industry-wide conversations and holding even well-loved brands to account. She’s supported over 300 people through 1:1 sessions in the past 18 months, offering tailored career support while uplifting hiring managers. Lauren’s community work continues to shift norms and raise standards – and that’s why she has been shortlisted for community role model.

Liyana Shirin - Brambles

About:
Liyana is a Group Communications Manager at Brambles, leading global communications programmes and delivering corporate strategies that champion diversity, equity, and inclusion. With a background spanning Asia, the Middle East, and the UK, Liyana brings a unique cross-cultural perspective to every role. Her career spans financial services, consultancy, and tech, where she has consistently delivered measurable outcomes. Her influence extends far beyond the corporate world. As a former IEEE programme leader, she has digitally connected hundreds of young women with industry role models in STEM.

Reason for Shortlisting:
A proven innovator in corporate communications, Liyana has led transformative DEI initiatives and data-driven decision-making dashboards. Beyond her role at Brambles, Liyana’s impact spans global platforms. As a delegate for the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, a Future Leader Shadow Board Member at Women in Banking & Finance UK, and a digital leader for IEEE and Lean In, she has pioneered digital campaigns and community engagement that open doors for women in STEM, finance, and the creative industries. From mentoring aspiring novelists to launching high-impact social storytelling for refugee children, her work blends strategy with humanity.

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