April, 2026.- In the 2026 communications landscape, individual success is no longer understood without the support system that sustains it. Nafissa Norris, the current President of Bloom, steps into the role with a powerful premise: “Roots that Rise.” After years leading inclusion and social support groups, Norris assumes the presidency with a clear goal: to make the invisible visible—the network of mentorship, advocacy, and encouragement that allows women to thrive in competitive environments. For Nafissa, winner of the Inclusion Group Leader of the Year award in 2025, Bloom is not just a networking group, but a living ecosystem where the rise of one woman strengthens the roots of all. Her approach is built on four critical pillars—Root, Grow, Lift, and Rise—designed to transform casual support into a strategy for professional growth and systemic change.
In this exclusive interview with Roastbrief, Nafissa Norris explains how her grassroots experience within the organization has shaped a presidency focused on lived experience and real intersectionality. From her work at the Conscious Advertising Network to her role as a mother, Norris shares what drives her to maintain such a demanding voluntary commitment: the urgency of closing the representation gap at senior levels. Discover how Bloom is redefining growth through industrial influence and external visibility, and why Norris believes that for leadership to be authentic, it must be designed for all women, without exception. It is a lesson in legacy, community, and the transforming power of roots that, though unseen, are what allow us to reach the highest heights.
1. “Roots that Rise”: You’ve chosen the theme “Roots that Rise” for your presidency, celebrating “the invisible support, mentorship, and advocacy within the Bloom network.” What does this theme mean to you personally, and how will it manifest in the initiatives and programming you lead this year?
“Roots That Rise” is about recognising the support system behind every woman’s success, the mentorship, advocacy, introductions and encouragement that often go unseen.
Personally, it means a lot to me because my own journey hasn’t been something I achieved alone. I’ve been supported, championed and lifted by others through professional communities, networking and volunteering, and that has shaped both my confidence and my leadership style.
At the heart of the theme is a simple belief: when one woman rises, they strengthen the whole network.
We’ve built the year around four core pillars.
Root is about connection, creating deeper, more authentic relationships in a psychologically safe space across the Bloom community.
Grow is about mentorship, strengthening mentoring across the Bloom ecosystem, not just by paying it forward to mentees, but by showing up for one another as peers and opening doors.
Lift is about advocacy, encouraging Bloomers to advocate for each other through an intersectional lens, while also strengthening relationships with allies and industry partners.
And Rise is about visibility, showcasing the voices, value and achievements of Bloomers, and growing our legacy through external visibility and PR.
Ultimately, it’s about showing that Bloom is a living ecosystem of support.”
2. The Proof is in the Pudding: You’ve said that Bloom “reveals the invisible root system powering women’s careers” and that you’re “a living example of that.” Can you share a moment in your career—perhaps from your own experience within Bloom—where that invisible support made a tangible difference?
“I’ve benefited directly from Bloom’s support system in ways that have had a real impact on my career. One Bloomer made an introduction that opened up a new opportunity. Another advocated for me in a room I wasn’t in, which is often where real career progression happens. And there have also been moments when encouragement from Bloom members came at exactly the right time and kept me moving forward.
What makes Bloom special is that it’s rooted in community, care and genuine inclusion. Through my time in the network, I’ve seen first-hand the ‘roots’ that quietly hold people up — supporting women at every stage of their careers, while also challenging our industry to do better.
Those moments can seem small from the outside, but they can be career-defining. That’s why I’m so passionate about making that invisible support more visible, more intentional and more celebrated in the year ahead.”
3. From Inclusion Group Lead to President: You’ve served as Bloom’s Inclusion, Support & Social Group lead and co-led Bloom in Colour, winning Inclusion Group Leader of the Year in 2025. How has that work at the grassroots level shaped your vision for the organization as President? What do you bring to the role that someone without that direct community-building experience might not?
“Leading Inclusion, Support & Social groups at Bloom gave me a ground-level understanding of what members really need, viewed through an intersectional lens. I’ve worked closely with Bloom members across different identities and career stages, with a focus on making our spaces feel safe, supportive and genuinely inclusive.
Co-leading Bloom in Colour deepened that even further. It strengthened my commitment to representation, especially as a woman of colour myself and made it even clearer to me that inclusion has to be built into everything we do, not treated as an add-on.
That grassroots experience shapes how I lead now. I build strategy around lived experience rather than assumptions, I prioritise community over optics, and I understand that trust has to be earned and developed patiently, not just engagement measured.
What I bring to the presidency is that community-first perspective. I’ve been in the detail, listening to members and helping build those spaces from the ground up, and that gives me a unique insight.”
4. Championing All Women: Bloom’s mission includes supporting “all women whether cisgender, trans, intersex or non binary.” How do you ensure that inclusivity isn’t just stated but actively lived across Bloom’s programming, events, and leadership? What work still needs to be done?
“Inclusion has to be designed into everything we do. In practice, that means making sure our events and programmes reflect a wide range of lived experiences through diverse speakers, mentors and leadership voice and the language we use when referring to women.
It also means creating spaces where all women feel seen, safe and represented, with support that reflects different identities and life stages. And it means embedding intersectionality across our work, rather than treating it as something separate or occasional.
At the same time, there is still more to do, especially around senior-level representation, accessibility, advocacy and making the wider industry more inclusive in practice.
My focus is making sure our members genuinely feel included, and their personal characteristics accepted.”
5. The Voluntary Leadership Equation: Bloom’s presidency is a voluntary role, yet you’re also balancing your work at the Conscious Advertising Network, school governance, mentoring, and more. What keeps you committed to this work, and how do you sustain your energy across these multiple roles?
“The juggle is real, and yes, it can be exhausting. Actually, scratch that, it IS exhausting. But Bloom is deeply connected to my values, especially as a mother, thinking about the kind of world and opportunities I want my daughter, and other girls and young women, to grow up into. It also connects strongly to my values around inclusion and legacy.
What keeps me going are two big questions: how do we close the representation gap at senior levels? And how do we make sure more women from underrepresented backgrounds are sitting at the tables where decisions are made?
That’s what keeps me committed, because this is about systemic change as much as it is about community. I’m very intentional about aligning my roles with that purpose. Whether it’s Bloom, my work at the Conscious Advertising Network, or being a Vice Chair of Governors at Horley Infant School, it all comes back to influence, representation and long-term impact.”
6. Bloom’s Next Phase of Growth: You’ve said you’re excited to “drive Bloom’s next phase of growth and impact.” What does growth look like for Bloom? Is it about expanding membership, deepening programming, influencing industry policy, or something else entirely?
“Growth, to me, is about depth, impact and influence, the kind you see reflected in real-life stories as evidence. For Bloom, that means expanding our advocacy, strengthening our industry influence, opening more doors, amplifying more voices, and supporting more women at every stage of their careers.
Visibility will play a big role in that, as will building stronger relationships with partners and allies. Of course, I’d also love to see that reflected in growing membership, with strong renewals and new joiners year on year.
Ultimately, my ambition is for Bloom to continue being a kind and supportive community where strong roots don’t just help women rise, they accelerate careers and closing the equity gap.”
