The Watches of Switzerland Group has returned as headline sponsor of The King’s Trust Change a Girl’s Life campaign for the second consecutive year, reinforcing its commitment to helping young women facing adversity to build confidence, develop skills and access brighter futures.
To celebrate the campaign, on 12 March the Watches of Switzerland Group hosted a breakfast panel discussion at the Mappin & Webb Jewellery showroom in Manchester, bringing together voices from sport, craft, creativity and lived experience to explore how the power of opportunity, confidence, and skills can transform life outcomes for young women.
Taking place shortly after International Women’s Day on 8 March, the event focused on the role organisations can play in creating meaningful opportunities for young people. Research from The King’s Trust shows that seven in ten (71%) young women always or often feel stressed, with over a quarter (28%) reporting they think they will fail in life – highlighting the importance of initiatives that build confidence and open pathways to opportunity.
The panel featured Olympic champion and advocate for women in sport, Dame Laura Kenny, jewellery designer Annoushka Ducas MBE, and master watchmaker, Rebecca Stuthers. The King’s Trust Young Ambassador, Shauna Tiffany also joined the panel to talk about her personal journey following support from The King’s Trust Enterprise programme. Shauna is now founder of Lighthouse Therapy Hub, which supports over 50 families through creative therapeutic approaches designed to help people process and overcome trauma. The discussion was facilitated by Philippa Jackson, Group Executive Director of Human Resources at the Watches of Switzerland Group.
As headline sponsor, the Watches of Switzerland Group is supporting the initiative through a programme of activity designed to raise awareness and engage colleagues across its business. This includes hosting conversations that bring the campaign mission to life and taking part in colleague-led activities such as the Brilliant Breakfast.
To further support the campaign, from March to June 2026 the Watches of Switzerland Group partners with two female-led jewellery brands – Annoushka and Pasquale Bruni – who are donating 5% of all sales to support the campaign. Joining them are the Watches of Switzerland Group jewellery brands: Goldsmiths are donating 5% of all sales from selected 9ct Gold jewellery* and Mappin & Webb are donating 5% of all sales from selected 18ct Yellow Gold jewellery** from 1 March until 30 June in support of the Change a Girl’s Life campaign.
"At the Watches of Switzerland Group, we believe confidence is built through experience, opportunity, access and support. That’s why we are incredibly proud to return as headline sponsor of The King’s Trust Change a Girl’s Life campaign for the second year. Through conversations like this panel, alongside fundraising initiatives and colleague engagement across our business, we hope to shine a light on the challenges many young women face and support the vital work The King’s Trust is doing to help them build skills, confidence and independence."
"Through Change a Girl’s Life, you can help young women launch the future they want. A future without barriers – a future that’s theirs. Via our free courses, grants, and ongoing mentorship, we can give more young women the support they need to get into work. Whether it’s shopping with one of the brands, hosting a brilliant breakfast or simply making a donation, anyone can help raise vital funds to help young women launch their future – and soar. We’re proud to be partnering with the Watches of Switzerland Group as our headline partner for a second year, with our shared commitment to change young women’s lives."
The Change a Girl’s Life campaign supports young women across the UK who are facing significant barriers to education, employment and training, helping them to develop confidence, skills and networks that enable them to build brighter future.
Since partnering with The King’s Trust, The Watches of Switzerland Group Foundation has directly supported over 11,000 disadvantaged young people to access quality education through the funding of programs like Enterprise Challenge, as well as committing £1.5 million in funding from 2023 to 2025.
*Applicable to Goldsmiths product sku refs: 12143344,12153527, 12143669, 12153517, 12143670, 12143671, 06071134, 15430089, 12111159, 12143768
** Applicable to Mappin & Webb product sku refs: 12110773, 06071139, 12153639, 12143769, 11520168, 13520064, 15030725
The King’s Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales (1079675) and Scotland (SC041198).
