Born to evangelical Christians on 13th April 1978, Ruth Powys is the eldest of twins. She was immediately submerged in an atmosphere of passion and conviction. Her love of different peoples and cultures was cultivated during the frequent meetings held by returning missionaries – many of whom had risked their lives and suffered torture in their quest to bring Christianity to all people. This upbringing instilled in Ruth a strong value system however; the strict gender roles followed by the church coupled with a curiosity for other religious edicts ultimately drew Ruth away from this version of Christianity.

Along with her twin sister Mary, Ruth developed into an outspoken advocate for human rights among her peers and became particularly sensitive to issues affecting women – both in the UK and abroad. This lead to her arrest in 1997 for organising a campaign against Virgin Cola’s sexually exploitative advertising.

She went on to read early modern history at the University of Essex where subjects such as slavery, genocide and gender history motivated her to pursue a career in the not-for-profit sector. Since graduating in 1999, Ruth went on to qualify with the Institute of Public Relations and has since raised thousands of pounds and generated attention grabbing headlines for a range of causes including Anti-Slavery International, The Aegis Trust (anti-genocide), The Women’s Self-Education Fund (Latin America), KIDA (aid for HIV victims in Uganda) and The Immigration Advisory Service. She currently works as the head of fundraising and communications for an Asian elephant conservation organisation, Elephant Family.