IWD 2026: Female Founder Interviews – The Beacon

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Celebrating International Women’s Day 2026 we sat down with female founder, Fiona Hemming, Founder and CEO of The Beacon, a PR and brand strategy agency working with leading names across hospitality, food and beverage, public realm and luxury retail. A trained business coach with 18 years’ experience in communications, she has advised organisations including The Crown Estate, Rolls-Royce and Leading Hotels of the World. Fiona brings together high-performing teams of specialist talent to deliver considered, impactful brand work.

What was your motivation behind starting your own business?

I did not want to talk about change anymore. I wanted to build it. 

Before I had children, I did not fully understand the reality of being a working mother. I did not understand the challenge of building a career whilst raising children, or how relentless the mental load is. I did not have that lived experience. When I did, I could not unsee it. 

I started questioning why more companies were not designing working patterns around the very normal reality that careers and caregiving happen at the same time. I had seen brilliant women step away from their careers, not because they lacked ambition or talent, but because the system simply was not accessible. At some point I felt like I had to stop talking about it and build something different. Put my money where my mouth is. 

The other big driver was belief from other women. The idea had been sitting with me for years, but what shifted it was women I respected saying, “You could do this.” Sometimes someone else has to hold the confidence for you before you are ready to hold it yourself. 

What is the hardest and the most joyous part of your role as a female founder?

The hardest part is the mental load and never really having a day off from it. There are days when it feels like I have lived a full life with my three children before I have even left the house. When you are leading a business and raising a family, particularly when you are often the default parent, the boundaries blur. It truly does feel like you are holding up the sky. Parenting is just one version of this. Many people are carrying invisible responsibilities; health challenges, grief, caregiving all going on behind the scenes. You want to show up focused, strategic and motivating at work because that is part of leadership. At the same time, huge things can be happening at home. 

We do not talk enough about how intense that is, especially for women carrying disproportionate domestic or emotional responsibility. The resilience required is enormous. 

The most joyous part for me is building teams of wonderful people around me. I love basking in the company of fun and talented people. I am fortunate to have co-founders who lead with empathy and strength, and we prop each other up when things feel heavy. 

We have won clients because incredible women we have worked with in the past have championed and recommended us. Even in my personal life there is a village – women who pick up my children, who pick me up emotionally, and just make life manageable AND enjoyable. I truly believe strong leadership is reflective of the people holding you up.

Are there any barriers women still face in PR that doesn’t get enough attention?

Performative conversations around flexible working. After my last maternity leave, when I was looking at roles, there was a lot of language about inclusion and agility. But, in reality, it often did not exist. I had seen talented women leave the industry because the ways of working were simply not accessible. It is easy to talk about flexible working. It is much harder to redesign a business to include it. 

We close our office for a week in the summer holidays. When we introduced it, clients like Virgin Hotels sent messages saying, “Enjoy, you deserve it”. It proved that these decisions can work commercially as well as culturally. 

We have also implemented a four-day week. It is not easy. It requires discipline, trust and clearer priorities. It can make leadership more demanding. But it is a proof point that flexibility can be structural, not symbolic. If we are serious about change, we must be willing to make decisions that may feel harder in the short term to create something more sustainable in the long term. 

What is your current favourite brand/company and why?

I am drawn to brands where women are building something for themselves. Bloom and Blossom is a beautiful example; self-care designed to support women through different stages of life. 

I also love Yaitte. Their tailoring makes me feel comfortable and smart at the same time, which honestly is the sweet spot at work. I admire brands that are built with conviction. 

What advice would you give to women trying to enter the PR industry?

PR is having one of its most interesting years in decades. With so much noise, advertising and AI generated content, it is increasingly hard to know who to trust. Earned credibility matters more than ever. Trust is the most asset a brand can build. 

So be truthful, be keen, and do not wait for things to fall into your lap. 

Go out and meet people. Ask questions, offer help. This industry runs on warmth, relationships and connection. Be thoughtful, reliable and genuinely interested. 

I have always loved connecting people, in and out of work. In return I have felt that generosity come back to me. It is simple, but you get out what you put in.

Do you have any female founders or leaders who have inspired you?

Two women stand out for me. Pippa Begg, founder of Board Intelligence, is both a long standing friend and someone I deeply admire professionally. She operates in what has traditionally been a male dominated world and has absolutely smashed through glass ceilings, all while raising three children. Her career trajectory is phenomenal. What I admire just as much as her intellect is her generosity. She actively champions other women. She makes time. She encourages. She shares wisdom without ego. She is proof that you can succeed at the highest level and still create space for others to rise with you. She shows that ambition and encouragement are not mutually exclusive. 

The other is Joeli Brearley MBE, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed and author of The Truth About the Motherhood Penalty. She did not just identify a problem around maternity discrimination; she built a movement. That kind of courage and persistence, especially while parenting, is extraordinary. 

Both represent leadership that is principled, intelligent and committed to making work better for women in tangible ways.

The Beacon, proud members of Uncommon Holborn have decades of collective experience working with many of the world’s most globally recognised and purposeful brands. Get in touch today.