A Bermudian who works to amplify women’s voices in policymaking and professional initiative has been recognised for outstanding leadership.

Erica Bassett, a senior commissioner in the National Health Service in London, was named among the 100 Most Influential People to watch.

They will be honoured at an awards ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia, next month.

The Global Women Wealth Warriors organisation said Ms Bassett is renowned for her “visionary leadership, humanitarian impact and unwavering advocacy for women’s empowerment worldwide”.

This award recognises individuals or global leaders who are committed to transforming lives through service, leadership and humanitarian impact.

Honourees will be celebrated at a gala event — called Red Dress Resurgence — at the Atlanta City Hall on December 6.

“Erica’s leadership extends beyond healthcare. She is an impassioned humanitarian, championing initiatives that uplift women, families and marginalised communities,” the organisation said.

Ms Bassett, who has operated in the health system for almost a decade, said the nomination carried a profound sense of pride and purpose.

She added: “To stand on an international stage representing our island is both humbling and empowering.

“Bermuda may be small in size, but our spirit is powerful and our people are capable of extraordinary things.

“Remembering that anything is achievable with the right mindset, faith, action and belief — and that sometimes we have to change the way we look at things, so that the things we look at change.”

She said that to be named among 100 other influential people “reinforces the belief that where you come from should never limit where you can go”.

Ms Bassett said the younger generation, especially young females in Bermuda, deserve to see themselves reflected in leadership, in global advocacy and in spaces where important decisions are made.

“If my journey can remind them that they, too, belong in these rooms, then this recognition becomes even more meaningful,” she said.

The Howard University graduate said the nomination positions her to expand her efforts globally, while building stronger international partnerships, to a broader scale.

“Professionally, it opens new doors. Personally, it deepens my commitment to serve,” she said, adding that her mission to heal, to uplift and to empower remained intact.

With more than two decades of service in public health and community advancement, Ms Bassett has dedicated her career to bridging health equity gaps and ensuring access to quality care for underserved populations.

After graduating from Howard, where she studied business and economics and gained paralegal certification, she made a leap in her career path that she said “changed everything”. She crossed the Atlantic to London to pursue law.

She said the move “was a leap of faith, a leap of purpose and a leap that required leaving behind the familiar to step fully into the woman I was becoming”.

The decision shaped her path as it opened doors not only in the NHS but also in global advocacy, community development and women’s empowerment worldwide.

She said she always strives to lead with her heart, with integrity, compassion and profound respect for the power of human connections.

“Whether I am mentoring women finding their voice, working alongside community leaders or speaking on global stages, my mission remains the same: to heal, to serve and to empower,” she added.

“At the end of the day, I am simply a woman driven by purpose — a Bermudian woman who dared to dream, who learnt to soar and a strong belief that when we walk in our calling, we don’t just change lives — we change generations.”