Helen Molyneux
Helen Molyneux is a Welsh lawyer who founded and was the CEO of the UK personal injury law firm NewLaw Solicitors. In 2024 she had led the installation of three new statues of leading Welsh women and she became one of the BBC's 100 Women.
Life and career
[edit]Molyneux was born March 1965,[citation needed] in the Welsh town of Caerphilly. She studied law at Cardiff University and qualified as a solicitor in 1991.[1]
On 24 April 2012 her firm Newlaw became the 1st Welsh and 4th overall practice to be licensed as an ABM by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.[2] The idea originated, when Molyneux met a gentleman on a London train who owned an insurance brokers firm and they talked about the insurance market; they then came up with the idea of creating a law firm that manages personal injury claims from insurance companies and brokers.[3]
In 2013, Molyneux was named Law Society Business Women of the year for employing over 470 people in the UK, turning over £35m annually in work with leading consumer brands.[4] Molyneux later sold the firm.[5]
Legal awards and achievements
[edit]| Date | Award Title | Awarding Body |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Best Women in Legal Business and Welsh Women of the year[6] | Welsh Women Mean Business Awards 2011 |
| 2011 | Lexcel Award for Excellence in Practice Management (Highly Commended)[7] | The Law Society Excellence Awards 2011 |
| 2013 | Law Society Business Women of the year | The Law Society |
| 2014 | Fellow/ Chairman [1] | Institute of Welsh Affairs |
| 2015 | Honorary Doctorate of Laws[8] | University of South Wales |
Awards
[edit]In December 2024, Helen Molyneux was included on the BBC's 100 Women list.[9]
Monumental Welsh Women
[edit]In 2016, Molyneux and four others came together to discuss the lack of statues in Wales dedicated to women; they then created the Monumental Welsh Women group with the aim of creating five statues around the country.[10]
The first statue, of headteacher Betty Campbell, was unveiled in September 2021.[11] Elaine Morgan and Cranogwen had been unveiled by 2024. Two more statues of Elizabeth Andrews, and Lady Rhondda were still to be created,[12][13][14] and a theatre show was planned.[15]
Women Angels of Wales
[edit]Molyneux is one of the founders of Women Angels of Wales, an angel investment group.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Trustees | IWA". IWA. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
- ^ "Double ABS first for NewLaw Legal | News | Law Society Gazette". Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
- ^ WalesOnline (2011-03-16). "Molyneux takes Woman of the Year title at awards". walesonline. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
- ^ "Legal Business Woman of the Year - The Law Society". www.lawsociety.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
- ^ a b UK Business Angels Association website, article dated August 15 2023
- ^ New Law Journal website, article dated March 31, 2011
- ^ "Lexcel Award for Excellence in Practice Management 2011 - The Law Society". www.lawsociety.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
- ^ "Helen Molyneux". www.southwales.ac.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
- ^ "BBC 100 Women 2024: Who is on the list this year?". BBC. 3 December 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ Women in PR website, Women in PR Cymru meets … Monumental Welsh Women event, April 26th 2022
- ^ Guardian Newspaper website, Wales Honours Betty Campbell first black headteacher, article by Stephen Morris dated September 29, 2021
- ^ Monumental Welsh Women website, retrieved 2023-11-07
- ^ Morning Star Online website, Statue of Feminist Icon Elaine Morgan to be unveiled in Wales, article dated March 18, 2022
- ^ BBC website, Swashbuckling poet Cranogwen is third woman in Wales to get statue, article dated June 10, 2023
- ^ Wales 247 website, New theatre production to showcase the history of monumental Welsh women, article dated September 5, 2022