CHIEF EXECUTIVE, GIRLGUIDING UK
Julie Bentley is chief executive officer of Girlguiding. Since she joined the organisation in 2012, the Guides have become more visible and campaigning, with protests against sexual harrassment and calls for politicians to listen to girls’ concerns. Julie Bentley has spent her career in the voluntary sector. In her previous job as the chief executive officer of the FPA (Family Planning Association), she fought to change the abortion laws in Northern Ireland, campaigned against a change in the time limit on abortions in the rest of the UK and argued for mandatory sex education in schools.
She has also been chief executive officer of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and worked in alcohol and drug services. She began her tenure at Girlguiding by declaring that it is ‘the ultimate feminist organisation’.