Today is the final instalment of our five-week series of Friday Fifteen features, launched to mark International Women’s Day, highlighting some of Liverpool city region’s most remarkable women. Jennie Lewis reports

For the final instalment in our five-week Friday Fifteen programme we focus on three women who, while not being the public faces of the businesses they work for, are critical to their smooth operation, success and growth.

First launched in 2025 to mark International Women’s Day (IWD), Friday Fifteen aims to celebrate the success of Liverpool city region women on more than just one day.

IWD is a celebration of the progress women have made, but also raises the issue that there is much work still to be done to achieve gender parity – particularly in the workplace. Our final trio is:

• Emma Green, marketing and communications manager at the University of Liverpool’s Virtual Engineering Centre.
• Tracey Parry, chief operating officer at Liverpool law firm Gregory Abrams Davidson.
• Emily Hill, marketing lead and executive assistant at Bootle window and door maker Warwick North West.

Click here to see the Friday Fifteen week one trio, click here for week two, click here for week three and click here for week four.

Emma Green is the marketing and communications manager at the University of Liverpool’s Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC) but there is much more to her role than her title suggests.

For the past year or so Emma has played a pivotal role in the development of a pioneering new programme called Novel, a collaboration between the VEC and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

The VEC’s team of digital experts already has a track record of helping firms to commercialise their innovation. However, Novel aims to take this a step further and create a community of small business entrepreneurs and give them a “seat at the table”.

Launched as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund’s ‘Horizons’ Novel is bringing together some of the region’s most ambitious and highest growth potential companies.

Emma is one of the unsung heroes of the Novel project. Utilising her considerable expertise in strategic marketing, diverse content creation, event and project management to put Novel front and centre.

She is passionate about supporting innovation and following a recent entrepreneurs showcase event at Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium (she is also a passionate Red), said: “I walked away with hope in my heart.

“In a world full of uncertainty and negative news, it was fantastic to hear the amazing journeys of such inspirational individuals, genuinely using ‘tech for good’.”

Emma has overseen the development of Novel’s extensive events programme, which has attracted hundreds of attendees from the city region’s business community, and in February welcomed Lord Heseltine as one of its key speakers.

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Tracey Parry is chief operating officer of one of Liverpool’s best known law firms, Gregory Abrams Davidson (GAD).

Although smaller in size than other law firms in the city, GAD punches well above its weight.

Operating out of the world-famous Mathew Street, the practice also has a presence in London where it helps multiple business clients access markets in the UK and the US.

GAD operates across a diverse range of legal areas and Tracey plays a key role in making sure the operation runs as smoothly as possible. An experienced accountant, Tracey has worked in the legal services arena for more than 20 years.

As well as working alongside the chief executive and founder Gregory Abrams in the strategic and day to day operational running of the firm, Tracey is also responsible for human resources, risk and compliance including anti-money laundering and risk management.

Tracey also heads up the firm’s social value and community commitment, curating a programme of events and initiatives to support a number of local charities. Most recently, Tracey has taken the lead on GAD’s 45 Acts of Kindness to mark its 45^th year in business.

She is also behind the firm’s culture initiative, which was introduced 2 years ago, Everything that the business does is based around its core values, something that Tracey is extremely proud of.

Her CV is impressive. As well as a qualified accountant, employment law paralegal and holding an Advanced Certificate in Investigative Practice , Tracey is also one of the few people to have achieved an International Compliance Association (ICA) Advanced Certificate in Legal Compliance.

Tracey has a well-established professional network across Liverpool and the Wirral and is described by her peers and colleagues as “enthusiastic, passionate, and committed”.

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Emily Hill is marketing lead and assistant to the executive team at Bootle-based window and door manufacturer, Warwick North West.

Warwick has experienced exponential growth in the last five years, seeing a significant hike in its turnover from £5m to more than £12m. It has become a major player in the city regions housebuilding supply chain and a go to for social housing developers, known for its commitment to community and social value.

And its upwards trajectory is the result not only of Warwick’s top team, but of its whole team.

Emily has been with Warwick since 2023, when she joined as an executive assistant. She quickly became the primary support to Warwick’s then managing director, Greg Johnson (now chief executive).

He says: “Emily is the sort of employee you cling onto with both fists. Diligent, dependable,  quietly capable and bright – both in her work and in her manner.”

In his five years in the top seat, Greg has made notable changes to Warwick’s workforce – including increasing the female ratio by more than 200%.

In 2024, he appointed a new junior management team to widen the sphere of engagement with the wider Warwick team. He says his aim is to encourage people to come up with new and innovative ideas both for the business and its external activities. Emily was part of that team.

And in September, as he stepped into the role of chief executive, Greg appointed Phil McDonald as managing director. Emily has supported both Greg and Phil through a critical period of growth and transformation, while taking on a more active role in the company’s social, marketing and community engagement.

Greg added: “Emily is always ready and willing to learn, grow and take on a new challenge. And she does it all with energy, enthusiasm and a smile. In many ways, she is the backbone of the business and her I couldn’t be more proud of her continued contributions.”