JJ's Head of Comms, Elit, named as one of the most influential women in wholesale!

Updated: 23 February, 2024

Our very own Head of Communications, Elit Rowland, has been named as one of the most influential women in wholesale, featuring on the power list compiled by The Grocer magazine.

Back in 2016, Elit founded Women in Wholesale; a networking programme set up to inspire, support and develop women of all levels working in UK grocery and foodservice wholesale, and was the first person to get tongues wagging about gender inequality within the industry.

Thanks to Elit's hard work and dedication over the past seven years, making all people to feel comfortable and supported through a handful of initiatives including speed mentoring, wellness groups, menopause cafes, male allies' groups and resilience groups; the topics of diversity, inclusion and wellness have moved to the top of industry agendas.

Speaking about her accomplishment making it onto the power list, Elit said, "I started WiW back in 2016 with the support of our CEO Mustafa Kiamil. I remember being nervous writing a long email to him about an idea to start an event for women in our industry - I said I needed help with the photography and videography, and he agreed that JJ would be a sponsor in kind.

Seven years later, JJ is still a sponsor, and we have 40 other sponsors including many of the world's biggest brands. Our HR Manager, Joanna, has been to every event, and we bring lots of ideas back to JJ for Breakfast Clubs and inclusive recruitment campaigns. We are making a real difference, but WiW wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for Mustafa's support."

You can read the full article on The Grocer website here.