International Women’s Day creates an opportunity for us to raise the profile of gender equality and shine a light on the achievements of women across the globe.
It’s a time when we can all come together in unified support to boost awareness of discrimination, bias and prejudice.
To mark this year’s IWD, we wanted to focus on the incredible ladies working behind the scenes to bring each issue of our industry leading magazine to life.
We spoke to five women from our team to hear their thoughts on female representation in the industry and their vaping stories.
Emily Malia (That’s me!)
What is your role at Vapouround and what does it involve on a day-to-day basis?
“I am a Journalist with the magazine. That means I spend my days working within the editorial team, crafting engaging articles, sourcing stories and getting into the thick of the industry.”
What is your personal experience with vaping?
“I have never been a smoker and so I, naturally, haven’t been a vaper either.
“However, in my time at Vapouround, I have become a huge advocate for harm reduction and the vaping community.
“Now armed with a wealth of knowledge on the public health power of e-cigarettes, I am constantly encouraging my smoking friends to make the switch.”
How does it feel to see so many more women coming into the vaping industry, especially in the world of advocacy?
“It’s been really refreshing coming into the industry and being surrounded by other dedicated and enthusiastic women.
“As an outsider, I always thought this was a completely male-dominated community, but the reality is far different.
“I, for one, work with a team of brilliant women and constantly see female faces popping up…especially in the realm of activism.
“It’s fantastic to see plenty of women fighting for the right to vape, boasting an immense passionate for harm reduction as they fight to end the deadly effects of smoking.”
Are there any women who inspire you inside or outside of the industry?
“As a writer, I am constantly inspired by Dolly Alderton’s work. Her journalism and books influence my own style of writing and help to spark new ideas.”
Hayley Parker
What is your role at Vapouround and what does it involve on a day-to-day basis?
“I’m the Head of Design, so I lead our team of visual creatives, coordinating everything that involves design and printing.
What is your personal experience with vaping?
“I started smoking at around the age of 13 and continued up until I fell pregnant with my son at 31.
“Soon after, I started smoking again. It was only a few cigarettes a day to start with, but the habit got heavier as I got older…that was until I met my partner.
“I’ve been a dual user for quite some time but have been solely vaping in the past 14 months of our relationship.”
How does it feel to see so many more women coming into the vaping industry, especially in the world of advocacy?
“In the beginning this was a more male-dominated industry…something that was made incredibly clear at the various vaping shows and expos.
“The only time I would really see women at these events was when they were acting as so-called ‘promo girls’.
“That been said, the industry has definitely diversified over the past eight years, there are a lot more women making waves in the sector and to that I say, ‘Hell Yeah!’.”
Are there any women who inspire you inside or outside of the industry?
“There’s a lady called Hayley Marshall; she’s an old friend of Vapouround’s and she simply does not stop.
“She’s got vape shops popping up everywhere and is the perfect example of a hardworking businesswoman to me.
“Turning my attention to outside the industry…the popstar Lizzo is an inspiring woman for me.
“I especially like the way she is representing bigger women alongside her backing dancers…I love to see it.”
Katie Loomes
What is your role at Vapouround and what does it involve on a day-to-day basis?
“I am the Marketing Director…I run all marketing across the company from partnerships to collaborations, events, campaigns and of course, our bus tours.”
What is your personal experience with vaping?
“I am not a vaper, but I have never smoked either, so I personally haven’t needed to use the reduced risk product.
“I am, of course, a huge advocate for vaping.”
How does it feel to see so many more women coming into the vaping industry, especially in the world of advocacy?
“I think it’s great! This sector could stereotypically be seen as a ‘male industry’, so it’s nice to see plenty of companies that are owned and ran by women.”
Are there any women who inspire you inside or outside of the industry?
“There is someone that comes to mind…her name is Dr. Megan Rossi. She is a dietician and an advocate for gut health.
“I am massively into healthy eating and she has done so much to educate and raise awareness around looking after your gut and general diet.”
Carrie Strouther
What is your role at Vapouround and what does it involve on a day-to-day basis?
“I am one of the Marketing Executives here at Vapouround. I oversee our social media channels, coming up with ideas for new written, visual and video content.
“I also attend a lot of industry events, manning the Vapouround stand at expos and shows around the globe.”
What is your personal experience with vaping?
“I remember the first time I ever saw a vaping device; it’s a vivid memory for me.”
“That was around ten years ago now and since then I’ve met so many people who made the switch.
“As a non-vaper I wasn’t entirely clued into what e-cigarettes were all about…at least until I started working in the industry.”
How does it feel to see so many more women coming into the vaping industry, especially in the world of advocacy?
“I think it’s always great to see, it should always be – in any industry – a collaborative thing… women should always have a seat at the table.”
Are there any women who inspire you inside or outside of the industry?
“For me, personally, I’ve always been inspired by Princess Diana and her legacy…she was such a powerhouse and an influential person.”
Lucy Booth
What is your role at Vapouround and what does it involve on a day-to-day basis?
“I am the Design Team Coordinator which means I act almost as the glue that holds the team together, helping in any way that I can with the design process.
“As well as that, I deal with a lot of the communication with brands around artwork and the awards. To summarise, I help keep things ticking…but Hayley is the brains!”
What is your personal experience with vaping?
“I started vaping probably back in 2012 – when vaping was just emerging – but before that I had been smoking since I was 14.
“At the height of my habit, I was smoking 30-40 cigarettes a day. But when I switched to dual use, I was only having the occasional cigarette socially on a night out.
“Through vaping I have been able to quit smoking and haven’t touched a cigarette since 2015.”
How does it feel to see so many more women coming into the vaping industry, especially in the world of advocacy?
“Really good! When I first started vaping and for a long time afterwards, it was mostly men in the industry.
“In the beginning, it was always my partner that would go to vape stores and it took a while for me to feel comfortable in that environment.
“Seeing more women come into the advocacy side of things is especially great because I think there’s an equal number of women that smoke and are looking to quit.
“It’s important that they feel empowered and that we can encourage them, in any way we can.”
Are there any women who inspire you inside or outside of the industry?
“Right now…that would have to be my mum. She is currently battling cancer and has been a smoker since she was a teenager.
“After receiving her diagnosis, she quit right on the spot and started vaping, which makes me very proud of her.”
We are extremely proud of the women who are a part of the vaping community and continue to be inspired by their work in leading us to a smokefree future.
Hopefully, as the community grows even further, we will hear more and more female voices adding to the conversation and advocating for vaping.
