The Cat’s Mother has reported a ‘huge show of support’ at its fundraising event this week.
On Tuesday (March 10), an intimate, sold-out dinner was held at The Club at The Ivy in London to raise funds to support the next generation of women shaping the future of the music industry.
The not-for-profit mentoring and networking service for young women from low income backgrounds was founded in 2019, and hosted its first ever fundraising event, coinciding with International Women’s Month.
Guests spanning companies and organisations in the music industry – from Sony Music and Universal Publishing Music Group, to marketing agency Blackstar and ticketing platform Ticketmaster – gathered to celebrate and pledge financial help for The Cat’s Mother.
The donations will directly fund provisions for mentoring, training, job application support, career development and access opportunities for the network’s young mentees.
On the night, guests were treated to a three-course dinner, speeches, and live performances from jazz singer and Cat’s Mother artist ambassador, Yazmin Lacey as well as The House Gospel Choir, who recently backed Harry Styles’ live performance of Aperture at the 2026 BRIT Awards in Manchester.
I'm blown away by the kindness and love shown from our guests at the event. Their generosity is transforming the Cats Mother, ensuring we can continue to create real access and opportunities for talented and deserving young women from low income backgrounds
Natalie Wade
The event also welcomed BRIT and Grammy-nominated R&B star, Mahalia, who was an early supporter of the network. Attendees heard from The Cat’s Mother founder, Natalie Wade (PPL), and co-chair, Sara Lord (Recognition Music Group), on the impact so far, plans for 2026, and the need for ongoing funding and support.
Two Cat’s Mother beneficiaries, Anjola Akeju (YouTube) and Renette Momodu (Amplify), also spoke about their own career paths.
Anjola Akeju (left) and Renette Momodu (right). Credit: Tina Korhonen
Natalie Wade said: “I'm blown away by the kindness and love shown from our guests at the event. Their generosity is transforming the Cats Mother, ensuring we can continue to create real access and opportunities for talented and deserving young women from low income backgrounds.
"It means we can keep developing relevant and practical training and mentoring programmes, it means we can keep helping them find the cracks in doors that might have been closed to them. It means every pound raised will go into supporting those women.”
“We can't wait to show our supporters from Amazon Music to Defected Records, to Universal Music Publishing, Jonathan Shalit, JD Management, Blackstar Agency and Lloyds Corporate Music Team exactly how much of a difference their investment makes to a small, focused organisation like ours.”
Sara Lord added: “What a night! All of us at Cat’s Mother are feeling very grateful after such a huge show of support. It is truly wonderful to see what can happen when a bunch of people come together to try and make things a bit better for others.
"I feel very proud to be a part of this industry today. We will keep doing what we do, it is simple, impactful and delivers tangible life changing outcomes for those that really deserve it and after the huge generosity seen last night we feel very positive about the future of The Cat’s Mother network.”
MAIN PHOTO (L-R): Mahalia, Sara Lord, Yazmin Lacey, Natalie Wade. CREDIT: Tina Korhonen
