Welcome to the October issue.

This month we feature founder of Coffee Republic, Sahar Hashemi, as well as the inspirational story of Fiona Thornewill, the first woman to reach the South Pole single-handedly. For those of you thinking about leaving the city and starting afresh, we meet a number of women who have branched out to go it alone, and in this issue we also take a look at the women who are making it in the thriving Middle-East.

In travel we take a look around Damascus, and Taffetta Gray tells us about her experiences visiting Rwanda. In other news we take a look at the newly launched Coutts Social Entrepreneur Scholarship and also the best hotel and spa in Cheltenham, to celebrate our soon to open Coutts Cheltenham office.

Along with our usual regulars, we have also this month launched our new 'Coutts Woman Loves...' column, showcasing the best in new products to buy, places to eat and exhibitions to visit.

Don't forget you can now subscribe to receive updates from Coutts Woman, which will give a preview of up and coming features as well as exclusive subscriber access to future offers and events.

We hope you enjoy the issue.