Carol Ann Whitehead
The Zebra Partnership
Carol Ann Whitehead, known to many as the self-styled #QueenMaker and #AgentOfChange, is a one-woman powerhouse. Strategic planner, event producer, campaigner, and mentor, Carol Ann is a leader who doesn’t just champion inclusion—she builds entire platforms for it.
Carol Ann’s career spans sectors, causes, and continents. She is the award-winning Managing Director and Co-founder of The Zebra Partnership, a unique publishing, events, and campaigns agency known for its dynamic project-based collaborations.
Whether working with creatives, policy-makers, or performers, Carol Ann’s mission remains consistent: to elevate underrepresented voices.
Her leadership is multifaceted. As Chair of the Portico Public Programming Committee, she’s revitalised public engagement at one of Manchester’s oldest cultural institutions. Her earlier role as Chief of Staff for the Heritage Lottery-funded Reunited Project helped ensure vital preservation work was delivered with modern relevance and integrity. This year, she added another illustrious role to her résumé: Operations Director of this historic Library. With a deep appreciation for heritage and storytelling, Carol Ann is determined to reimagine this iconic space, transforming it into a vibrant hub of inclusion, creativity, and engagement. Her vision? To open the doors wider, bringing the stories of Greater Manchester’s richly diverse communities into the heart of this heritage gem.
Carol Ann is a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), Deputy Chair of the CMI Women’s Board, and Chair of CMI West Midlands and North West.
Through these platforms, she’s reshaping leadership discourse and paving the way for a more equitable professional landscape.
Her work with 50:50 Parliament—where she is a Trustee and Head of EDI Engagement for the ‘Amplifying Muted Voices’ campaign—is equally transformative. Focused on empowering Northern women of colour to take political office, the initiative has gained national traction, with support from the likes of Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Rt Hon Julia Gillard, Alison Lowe, and Nazir Afzal OBE. In recognition, Carol Ann received the 2024 Political Figure Baton Award.
Carol Ann’s influence extends well beyond the UK. She delivered a game-changing lecture on Improving Wiki Diversity at the United Nations Youth Association in Denmark and mentored attendees to run their own WikiEditathon. Recognised as a Global Goodwill Ambassador (2019) and a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Social Media Influencer Top 100 (2021), she was later awarded the 2022 ‘Inspiring Women Worldwide’ accolade by the Women’s International Network in Geneva.
In 2023, she was featured in Diversein.com prestigious list of “Women Who Change the World”, and was invited by UN Women UK as a delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67 and CSW68)—the world’s largest annual gathering focused on gender equality.
In October 2024, she was awarded a ‘Citation of Honour’ by the GEWE Global Network, recognising her lifelong contribution to gender equity and women’s empowerment during Black History Month.
She also holds ambassadorships with the Pankhurst Trust and Queen Bee Coaching, and is a member of networks such as GM4Women2028, and the Alliance Manchester Business School Women Leading in Business network.
She’s proudly “nerdy” about comics, sci-fi, and folklore—and believes in saying yes to new experiences at least once.
Carol Ann Whitehead’s journey is not about collecting accolades—it’s about collective elevation. She lifts others as she climbs, creates opportunity where there is none, and refuses to accept the status quo. She doesn’t just believe women and underrepresented voices deserve a seat at the table—she’s designing new tables altogether.
She is shaping a legacy, and we’re all better for it. Listen to this remarkable woman at the Inspiring Women Awards lunch on 16th May 2025 at The Lowry Hotel. Info & Tickets here