Dana Denis-Smith, founder of The First 100 Years and Next 100 Years campaigns and CEO of outsourced legal services provider Obelisk Support, has been awarded the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours List in recognition of her services to women in law.

Denis-Smith originally launched The First 100 Years campaign back in 2014 with the intention to promote the profession’s female trailblazers, documenting their stories through video biographies and a book, podcast, exhibition and events.

She is also a judge at the Women and Diversity in Law Awards, a council member of the Law Society of England and Wales, and a commentator on legal affairs and gender diversity, including for the Global Legal Post.

In a statement, she said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be honoured with an OBE. I never imagined when I started the campaigns that something like this would happen. I just saw it as something that needed to be done, a wrong that should be righted.

“To be recognised for the difference I have made by the country that I have called home for more than half my life now means the world to me. It’s an honour I share with all the women whose stories we have told, and also with my daughter, Alma Constance, and husband John, who have supported me every step of the way.”

Denis-Smith was born and raised in Romania and was previously a journalist before switching to law and qualifying at Linklaters. She later set up Obelisk Support to address the issue of female lawyers leaving to raise a family and returning to work.

That also inspired her to launch The First 100 Years campaign, which was marked in 2019 by the UK Supreme Court unveiling its first piece of art featuring women in the profession, including its first female president, Lady Hale. Denis-Smith is continuing that work now through the Next 100 Years campaign, which seeks to improve the visibility of women in the profession.

The next edition of the Women and Diversity in Law Awards, currently open to sponsorship by law firms and related businesses, will be held in London on 18 March 2025 at the Hilton Bankside.