AXREM has championed women in our industry during International Women’s Day for the last few years, and this year the association decided to elevate this further by hosting a celebration event at The Florence Nightingale Museum at St. Thomas’s Hospital, London.
On the eve of International Women’s Day 2025, in a venue completely aligned with the event, AXREM hosted over 60 key industry female opinion leaders and key stakeholders.
There was a full programme of speakers including an actor as Florence Nightingale talking about her work, a video address from Baroness Merron, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women's Health and Mental Health at the Department of Health & Social Care, Preeya Bailie, Director of Central Commercial Function, Commercial Directorate at NHS England, Saduf Ali-Drakesmith, Head of Sales at Smart Reporting & Vice Convenor of the Imaging IT SFG & Yasmeen Mahmoud, Business Manager HPM UKI at Philips Healthcare and Kath Halliday, President of the Royal College of Radiologists.
Florence Nightingale was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for wounded soldiers at Constantinople. She significantly reduced death rates by improving hygiene and living standards. Nightingale gave nursing a favourable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture, especially in the persona of "The Lady with the Lamp" making rounds of wounded soldiers at night.
Sally Edgington, AXREM Chief Executive Officer said in her speech: “we have gathered to celebrate the strength, resilience, and brilliance of women in our industry. I am a female leader and currently lead a fabulous all female team, I am biased……. but they really are all inspirational, supportive and hard working women and I feel truly blessed to work alongside each of them.
International Women's Day is not just a day to acknowledge the progress we've made, but a day to remind ourselves of the work that still lies ahead. It’s a day to honour the trailblazers, the changemakers, and the unsung heroes who have shaped history and continue to inspire us all today. There are many of these women within our sector and AXREM membership”.
Sally ended her speech by saying “When women rise, society rises with them. We all benefit when women are empowered, when they are given the tools, the respect, and the opportunity to lead, create, and flourish.
So, to all the women here tonight, to those who inspire us from afar, and to the generations of women who will come after us:
Keep pushing boundaries.
Keep dreaming big.
Keep shining your light.
The world is better because of all of us”
Reflecting on the event Sally Edgington said “It was a fabulous evening where we were able to bring together some thought leaders from our industry, it was also an evening where we could announce an AXREM Women’s network, This will further build on the important work AXREM has done over the last few years to really champion women in our industry and female leaders, so I am excited to launch this initiative and see how we can work with our members and stakeholders to develop this”.
Huw Shurmer. AXREM Chair & Strategic and Government Relationship Manager at Fujifilm Healthcare UK said “I was honoured to attend this event represented by so many strong women working in our industry. The speakers provided thought provoking content which gave me a different perspective on how far we have come, and how far there is still to go. I am looking forward to seeing the development of an AXREM Women’s Network to provide an industry forum and platform”.
Note:
AXREM members supply the majority of diagnostic medical imaging and radiotherapy equipment installed in UK hospitals. In doing so, our member companies and their employees work side by side with Radiologists, Radiographers, Practitioners, Oncologists and a wide range of healthcare professionals in delivering healthcare to patients using our technologies.
Our members therefore have unique knowledge, experience and insight into the workflow and challenges faced by healthcare professionals on a day-to-day basis, which enables us to develop and offer innovative solutions to improve the speed and quality of diagnostic procedures and treatments with our ultimate aim of improving patient care.
Although our members operate in a highly competitive commercial environment and in strict conformity with UK laws and regulations, certain issues such as this require focus and resolution on an industry-wide basis.
For further information about this press release please contact AXREM Chief Executive Officer – Sally Edgington
AXREM, Rotherwick House, 3 Thomas More Street, London, E1W 1YZ
E sally.edgington@axrem.org.uk
T 07717 058649
