Book review - 'Wavewalker: Breaking Free', by Suzanne Heywood CBE

For a decade from the age of seven, Suzanne Heywood sailed around the world with her family in a 70-foot schooner named Wavewalker. Her memoir 'Wavewalker: Breaking Free' recounts an extraordinary childhood of adventure, life-threatening storms and injury, and a lack of access to education. In spite of this, through her own efforts to obtain books and information while almost constantly on the move and labouring as part of the crew, she gained entry to Somerville College, Oxford and later King's College, Cambridge.

Her early career was spent as a civil servant in HM Treasury. She then joined McKinsey & Company, where she rose to become a senior partner before leaving for Exor in 2016. She is now Baroness Heywood of Whitehall, CBE, Chief Operating Officer of the Exor Group as well as the chair of CNH Industrial and of Iveco Group.

This is an inspiring read with a heartening message for anyone contending with obstacles to realising their full potential. You can find a link to the book here.

More details about the upcoming event, 'An Evening with Suzanne Heywood', taking place on Thursday 20 February 2025, can be found here.

All members are welcome to offer to review books relating to women and gender issues for the WN. If you are interested in writing a book review please get in contact with us, via social media on our LinkedIn or Facebook groups or by emailing women@sjc.ox.ac.uk.