♀️Bath and Somerset’s Most Inspiring Women 2026 | Claire Jonik

To mark International Women’s Day 2026, we’re celebrating Bath & Somerset’s most inspiring women.

Through our website and social media channels, we asked our readers which women in our community inspire them and created a list of 20. The list will be featured in our Spring magazine and every weekday throughout March we are profiling and championing each of these fantastic women online and via our social feeds.

Today we put the spotlight on local businesswoman Claire Jonik.

Tell us about you and your work:

I’m an EVP and board-level leader, and a proud mum of three, and I try to bring a bit of real life into the way I work. I help brands get clear on what they’re doing and build momentum without overcomplicating it.

Alongside my role at Dialect and growing my own consultancy, I mentor young talent, back grassroots people, and generally connect dots wherever I can. Connecting people is kind of my thing.

What are you most proud of?

I’m a mum of three girls, a wife and a daughter, so life is full. School runs, football matches, ageing parents, work… the usual juggle. It keeps me grounded and reminds me what actually matters.

Alongside being EVP at Dialect and sitting on a long-standing board, I give time to things I care about, over the years supporting Parkinson’s UK, now the Orchestra of Everything, and early-stage businesses like GutBlends and Shoppable Interiors. I mentor final-year students at Plymouth and Bath Spa, help young people get their first break into agencies, and sit on the Content Marketing Association board.

I also run my own consultancy, helping brands get clear on where they’re going next. But through all of it, the common thread is simple:  I connect people, open doors where I can, and try to make things move forward.

How does it feel to be recognised as one of Bath’s Most Inspiring Women?

It honestly feels very humbling.

I’m incredibly proud, not just for myself, but for my girls who get to see that you can build a meaningful career, show up for your family, and still make space to support others. Being recognised as one of Bath’s Most Inspiring Women feels like recognition of the whole picture.

If anything, it reinforces what I’ve always believed: success isn’t just about titles or outcomes, it’s about impact. It’s about connecting people, creating opportunity, and helping others move forward. To be recognised for that means a great deal.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

International Women’s Day, for me, is about visibility and possibility. It’s a moment to celebrate the women who are building careers, raising families, caring for parents, leading teams, starting businesses, often all at once, and doing it with resilience and heart.

This year’s IWD theme asks us to think about how giving benefits everyone. What’s an example from your work or community life where supporting another woman led to something meaningful in return?

Honestly, one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that life gets messy and pretending it doesn’t helps no one.

There have been times I’ve been open about juggling work, kids, ageing parents, and just feeling stretched. When I’ve shared that, other women have opened up too. It creates this unspoken permission to say, “I’m finding this hard as well.”

From that, you get real trust. Stronger teams. Better conversations. Sometimes supporting another woman is just being honest enough to show that ups and downs are normal, and that’s more powerful than it sounds.

What piece of advice would you share with your younger self?

I’d tell my younger self not to rush the journey.

Don’t worry so much about whether you’re “moving fast enough” or ticking off milestones in the right order. Progress isn’t always loud or linear. Sometimes it’s built quietly in the small wins, the difficult conversations, the late nights, the moments where you simply keep going.

Celebrate those small steps. They all add up. They build resilience, confidence and credibility in ways you can’t always see at the time. And trust that if you stay curious, kind and consistent, the bigger picture will take care of itself.

This feature is sponsored by Milsted Langdon accountants. Milsted Langdon is supporting this activity for a fourth consecutive year as they are passionate about supporting women in business and helping local communities thrive through their work with business owners, charities and not-for-profits.