The one-day, super-charged, in-person Summit.

A look back at last year’s agenda….

08:15 Networking Breakfast - sponsored by Maven

  • Enjoy a continental breakfast overlooking the Regent’s Canal, network with other business peers and expand your network. Located in the Battlebridge room, ground floor.

09.00: Opening session and wake-up call - what does a “successful” career path look like for a woman throughout her life trajectory? 

  • Mariella Frostrup is one of the UK’s most respected broadcasters and columnists. Her contribution to arts and literature along with her advocacy on gender and social issues have placed her at the forefront of the cultural landscape. She made the groundbreaking BBC1 documentary The Truth about Menopause and she currently presents her own daily show on Times Radio covering issues of the day.

09.15 -9.45: Ministerial Interview - Labour and Conservative Perspectives on Women in the Workplace: Policies, Pitfalls and Hopes for the Future.

  • Where are we now? Where will we be in five years? A discussion around flexible working policies, economic impact and society at large. What can we learn from other countries and economies? What’s the all-party vision for gender equity at critical life-stages within the workforce?

  • Mariella Frostrup is one of the UK’s most respected broadcasters and columnists. Her contribution to arts and literature along with her advocacy on gender and social issues have placed her at the forefront of the cultural landscape. She made the ground breaking BBC1 documentary The Truth about Menopause and she currently presents her own daily show on Times Radio covering issues of the day.

  • MP for Swansea East, Carolyn Harris, chairs the Menopause All Party Parliamentary Group and co-chairs the government’s Menopause Taskforce. Her Private Members Bill in 2021, led to commitments from the government to dramatically reduce the cost of NHS HRT prescriptions in England and to tackle wider societal issues that impact women’s menopause experiences.

  • Anneliese Dodds is the Labour (Co-op) MP for Oxford East, and has been an MP continuously since 8 June 2017. She currently undertakes the roles of Chair of Labour Policy Review, and Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities. In addition, she is Party Chair, Labour Party.

  • The Right Hon. Caroline Nokes was Minister of State for Immigration from 8 January 2018 to 24 July 2019. She was elected Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North in 2010.

    During her time in Parliament Caroline has served on the Environmental Audit and Education Select Committees, and was Chair of the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art. Caroline has served as a Principal Private Secretary at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Transport. Between July 2016 and June 2017 Caroline served as Minister for Welfare Delivery at DWP .

9.50-10.05: KEYNOTE The Economic Argument: Why supporting women in the workplace is not just morally good, but economically essential 

  • The hard business case for advancing women at all levels and the impact on business growth.

  • I am PwC UK’s Chief People Officer. I am passionate about cultivating a fair culture which embraces difference and about leading our people as they continue to grow, develop and flourish in their careers at PwC.

    I have over 20 years' experience of Forensic work and in recent years I have led a number of the most high-profile investigations in the UK for a range of private sector and Government clients.

    I have extensive experience of investigations into both financial and non-financial matters, typically involving highly sensitive and confidential issues, often across multiple jurisdictions. I regularly advise clients on bribery and corruption matters, governance and risk and a range of technology issues, including cyber security and information governance.

    I'm married to my wonderful wife Sarah and we have two fantastic daughters, Ellie and Amy. I'm lucky to call Ilkley in Yorkshire my home and in my spare time you will find me training for my next marathon, walking in the Yorkshire Dales or on the Northumberland coast, watching live music or supporting my beloved Newcastle United.

10.10-10.30: Visible Women - Creating High-Profile Female Role Models to Inspire a New Generation of Female Leaders.

  • It’s important to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk. To inspire more women at all levels in business, we need highly visible ambassadors and role models who show (not tell) younger women the way. We’ll hear how to create high-profile senior female mentors and advocates at work, who help raise other women up by setting an example

  • Sharon became the John Lewis Partnership's sixth Chairman in February 2020. Sharon moved from Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, where she served as Chief Executive for approaching five years. Before joining Ofcom, Sharon was Second Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, responsible for overseeing the public finances. She also held Board level positions at the Ministry of Justice and the Department for International Development, worked as an adviser at the Prime Minister's Policy Unit and in Washington DC as a senior economist at the World Bank. Sharon is a non-executive Board member of Barratt Developments Plc. She is a trained economist and studied at Cambridge University and University College London.

10.35 - 10.50: Break & Explore our Partner Pods

  • Grab yourself a coffee, network with peers and explore our amazing line up of partners on the Gallery level.

10.55-11:15: Interview: How to Improve Health Outcomes for Women and Families in Work AND Reap the Benefits

  • Employee engagement is an essential component of better workplace outcomes and what’s good for an individual employee is nearly always better for business. Maven Clinic works with employers to deliver personalized and comprehensive support for women and families throughout the journeys of fertility and family-building, pregnancy, parenting, pediatrics and menopause; delivering better health outcomes and game-changing results. Whilst recent research (That Works for Me, 2023) shows that less than a quarter (24%) of women go back to full-time after having children, and of that 24%, 79% ended up leaving anyway due to not being able to maintain a full-time role, 90%of Maven members return to work following parental leave. Hear how to leverage better health outcomes in business, avoid common pitfalls and create more inclusive workplaces.

  • Dr Nighat Arif is a GP specialising in women's health, family planning and menopause care, with over 15 years of experience working in the NHS. She has also run her own private Women’s Health clinic for six years. Nighat is the resident doctor on BBC Breakfast and ITV’s This Morning, and is a radio presenter for BBC Three Counties.

    Nighat is an Ambassador for the women’s charity Wellbeing of Women, and is a member of the UN-backed Team Halo initiative. She received the Point of Light Prime Minister’s Award for her exceptional service to Women’s Health, and was also the recipient of the 2023 Honorary SHE Award for her outstanding work in women’s health. Nighat has just written a new book, titled The Knowledge: Your guide to female health - from menstruation to the menopause. Nighat is a mum to three boys, and lives in Buckinghamshire.

    Dr Nighat Arif has worked as a family GP for the NHS for over 15 years, specialising in women’s health. Her ability to consult fluently with patients in Urdu and Punjabi brings a great deal of trust from her community. Nighat is a medical educator and provides teaching to local trainee GPs, as well as at National and International conferences. Dr Nighat also runs her own private women’s health clinic in Hemel Hempstead, in partnership with OSD Healthcare.

    Dr Nighat was nominated for the National Bevan Prize for Health and Wellbeing to acknowledge her exceptional commitment to advancing well-being in her community. Dr Nighat has worked to raise awareness on menopause and women’s healthcare in Black and Asian women and presented her clinical work at the ‘Menopause in the Workplace’ Parliamentary committee hearing. She has also worked with Team Halo, a United Nation (UN) initiative, to bring an end to the pandemic and presented at the G7 Global Vaccine Confidence Summit. This led to her being awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Science at London City University for Women’s Health, Public Health and Inclusion.

    Dr Nighat’s new book, titled The Knowledge: Your guide to female health - from menstruation to the menopause, is an extensive guidebook designed to help everyone better understand each of the three key stages of a woman's life: the puberty years, the fertility years and the peri/menopausal years. It will help you to get to know the female body by explaining what is normal, what to expect, how to care for yourself and when to seek help. The book will tackle many important topics, from the help available for people with conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, to the symptoms of heart disease to look out for in women. It is available to pre-order here.

    Dr Nighat has had several papers published and has won awards in the past. Most recently Nighat has written and contributed to British Vogue Magazine, HELLO!, MegsMenopause, Stylist Magazine, OK, Red, Good Housekeeping Magazine and Women in Medicine Magazine. As well as contributed to many books such as Menopausing: The positive roadmap to your second spring by Davina McCall & Dr Naomi Porter, The Complete Guide to POI & Early Menopause by Dr Hannah Short and Dr Mandy Leonhardt, as well her breadth of work in women's well-being, mentioned in Everything you need to know about the menopause, but were not told by Kate Muir.

    Dr Nighat Arif’s natural ability to connect with an audience has not gone unnoticed. After an immense amount of positive feedback, Nighat became the resident doctor on This Morning, BBC Breakfast, and BBC LookEast, updating viewers on the latest medical news. Dr Nighat was seen in 2020 discussing the effects of chillies on our bodies for BBC’s Food Truth or Scare. Dr Nighat is confident in front of a live audience too and has hosted women’s health workshops and keynote speeches.

    Dr Nighat is passionate about menopause awareness and making it a less taboo subject for all, but particularly for women for whom English is not their first language. As a doctor for women's health and healthcare consultant, she made a guest appearance on BBC Breakfast: Wake up to the Menopause and she was also a contributor on the Channel 4 documentary Davina McCall: Sex, Lies and the Menopause.

    Dr Nighat is a campaigner for Organ Donation in ethnic minority communities and has appeared on BBC Breakfast to try to encourage more organ donation. She is also very confident on the radio and hosts her own Sunday Breakfast show on BBC3 Counties Radio. Nighat regularly appears as a medical expert and guest speaker on TimesRadio, Talk Radio, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Asian Network and BBC Berkshire.

    In addition to her media work, Nighat is also an influencer and content creator via her hugely popular and verified TikTok, Instagram and Twitter accounts (@drnighatarif). Nighat has amassed a large and loyal following on her platform by uploading informative, funny and uplifting content daily.

    Dr Nighat Arif is a popular guest expert on several podcasts including HerSpirit with Louise Minchin and Annie Emmerson (receiving over 100,000 downloads), HuffPost Podcast, Surgical Spirit and Sikh Forgiveness podcast, talking about depression, menopause, anxiety, female health and other medical issues that affect us all. She has also featured on the podcast of leading menopause expert and GP Dr Louise Newson (The Dr Louise Newson Podcast).

    Nighat is an ambassador of many charitable causes including Wellbeing of Women, Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, HerSpirit, and The Lewis Foundation and does a huge amount of work supporting NHS Blood and Transplant. Nighat is a member of Team Halo – an organisation that works in partnership with the United Nations (UN) and the Vaccine Positivity Project to help spread understanding around the vaccination programme.

    Dr Nighat is incredibly relaxed and confident on camera and is keen to build on a media career as an expert female GP whilst remaining authentic to her values as a British Pakistani, Muslim woman and mother, navigating and uniting the different cultures in a positive way. She has integrity, substance, humanity and style and approaches life with humour.

  • Kate Ryder is the founder and CEO of Maven Clinic, the largest virtual clinic for women’s and family health. Maven offers virtual care and services across fertility, maternity, pediatrics, and menopause, and operates the largest women's and family health telehealth network globally. With Maven, employers and health plans can see improved maternal outcomes, lower costs, and attract and retain more parents in the workforce. Named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, Maven has raised $300 million USD in capital from top investors, including Sequoia Capital, Oak HC/FT, General Catalyst, Dragoneer Investment Group, and Lux Capital.

    Kate founded Maven in London in 2014, reimagining healthcare for women and families from the ground up after seeing first hand how the lack of access to care impacted those starting a family and returning to work as new parents. Prior to founding Maven, Kate worked in venture capital and as a journalist, writing for The Economist from Southeast Asia, New York and London and for The New Yorker. In 2009, she worked with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, helping him write his memoirs about the financial crisis.

    Kate has been named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40 and to Fast Company’s “Most Creative People.” She has spoken on stage at industry events including the Forbes Healthcare Summit, Fortune Brainstorm Health, the Oliver Wyman Health Innovation Summit and HLTH. Kate received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her MSc from the London School of Economics. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and three children.

11.20-11.50: Debate: Is the Post-Pandemic Shift of Working from Home Full-Time Good for Women?

  • Two of the biggest barriers for women in the workplace are unequal pay and a lack of flexibility. Much has been written about how the pandemic has put women’s careers at risk: with three groups particularly at risk: working mothers, women in senior management positions, and Black women (McKinsey). With the hybrid working (should we, shouldn’t we?) raging, some are expressing a hidden fear around home-working disguised as “flexibility” actually putting women back (more housework, more childcare, less face time with senior managers). Here we will hear two opposing perspectives and encourage audience participation!

  • Christine Armstrong is obsessed with research into the world of work. She writes, speaks and vlogs on what the trends and data tell us is and isn’t working.

    She was recently named 6th out of the top 50 Future of Work influencers in the world and is known for being fact-led, high energy and genuinely funny.

    Christine is also the author of ‘The Mother of All Jobs: how to have children and a career and stay sane(ish)’, published by Bloomsbury. The book is based on six years of interviews with working parents, employers, leadership experts and carers and a finalist in the Business Book UK awards 2019.

  • Debbie is one of the UK’s best known digital and media entrepreneurs.

    She began her career as a management consultant, before co-founding communications and digital marketing agency Mantra (sold to The Loewy Group 2007). She is the founder of Love Home Swap, which she sold to Wyndham Destination Networks (2017) and in 2018 co-founded AllBright, the world’s largest network for women’s careers.

    Debbie is the author of the Wosskow Review for the UK government on the Sharing Economy and the former Chair of Sharing Economy UK. She is a Member of the Mayor of London’s Business Board and a Trustee of the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She is a former winner of the Evening Standard ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ and Board Member of the Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship - and was awarded an OBE for services to business in 2017. description

  • Michelle Sequeira joined Mercer as a Senior Consultant in 2014. She has an MSc in Human Resource Management at Birkbeck, University of London and an MPhil in Social and Developmental Psychology at the University of Cambridge. Michelle is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and is a Chartered Manager.

    Michelle is a Senior Principal and Mercer’s UK and Europe Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Consulting Leader, based in London. She works with a wide range of clients helping organisations achieve a talent advantage through people. Michelle has also recently advised Mercer UK’s Executive Leadership Team on shaping their internal DEI strategy.

    Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Michelle has led the design and delivery of numerous inclusive leadership journeys, empowering senior leaders to take charge of their inclusion agenda. Beyond this, Michelle also establishes DEI strategies underpinned by tailored solutions, using analytics to identify the most impactful levers of change ; embeds DEI into the DNA of the entire employee experience ; sets appropriate metrics using quantitative and qualitative diagnostic assessments on how firms compare to market ; implements with impact with regards to unbiased talent programs and building rigor into pay equity processes.

    Workforce Planning and Analytics: Michelle has experience in determining a firm’s critical roles, and skills, and how best to meet the demand for these roles over the next few years; helping firms use analytics to make informed impactful strategic decisions; delivering education and learning workshops; external labor market analysis building models to identify suitable locations to set up or transfer business functions.

    Talent Management: Advising clients on their talent strategy; reviewing and designing multinational firms’ approaches to Performance Management.

  • Liz Moseley is a writer, interviewer and media business leader. Born and raised in marketing, she is a former publisher of heat magazine and Chief Marketing Officer at Ascential plc, where she led brand and growth marketing for a portfolio of global events including Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. She joined Tortoise, the pioneering "slow news" start up, as an editor and partner in 2018.

11.55-12.05: Case Study: How to Embed a Top-Down Culture that Embraces Equity and Leads by Example.

  • When culture eats everything else for breakfast, a policy means nothing unless it’s supported and championed right from the very top. It’s not just the C-suite who are influential here, but every level of the hierarchy - including line managers. Hear the lived experience of how Alex went from education, to implementation to engagement and built a culture of inclusivity.

  • Alex is CEO of Channel 4 and is a passionate and committed advocate for inclusive work environments. Channel 4’s gender equality staff network, 4Women, developed and launched a menopause policy in 2019, providing women and colleagues with the tools, support and guidance needed before, during and after menopause. In 2020 that policy was made freely available to everyone and since then it has been downloaded over 2,000 times.

12.15-12.35: What can the C-Suite do to Hold the Business (and themselves) to Account

  • A policy is a piece of paper - what really matters is culture. And, “the culture of any organisation is shaped by the worst behaviour the leader is willing to tolerate” (Gruenert & Whitaker). So what can business leaders do to walk the walk as well as talk the talk, beyond good intentions and company presentations? We’ll hear from Mark how organisations should join up what they put in place internally with external action.

  • Mark was appointed CEO of WPP in September 2018. He has held multiple leadership positions at WPP since joining in 1989, including Head of Strategy and CEO of WPP Digital. In 2015, he became Global CEO of Wunderman.

    Earlier in his career, Mark co-founded internet start-up WebRewards and specialised in media and marketing as a principal at consultancy Booz Allen Hamilton. He was recognised as an INvolve Heroes Champion of Women in Business for the fifth consecutive year in 2022 and was named #1 in its Empower Advocates list which recognises leaders who create diverse and inclusive business environments.

    In 2021 Mark was awarded Fellow of the IPA status for outstanding services to the industry and since 2022 has been Chairman of the Natural History Museum Digital Council.

  • Sarah Vizard joined Raconteur almost three years ago as editor, and is responsible for its editorial strategy and growing its business audience both online through Raconteur.net and through its print reports in The Times and Sunday Times. A business journalist for more than 15 years, she leads a growing editorial team focused on reaching business leaders by telling interesting stories through new digital formats. She is passionate about understanding the modern business world and hearing from new voices that can offer a different perspective on the corporate landscape.

12.40 - 13.45: Networking Lunch & Explore our Partner Pods

  • Network with peers over a buffet style lunch and explore our amazing line up of partners on the Gallery level.

12.40-13.45: Abbott & Lingo’s Stay Steady, Stay Focused VIP Lunch (invite only)

  • Join Abbott’s Sarah Tan, Europe GM for Lingo and Mariella Frostrup, one of the UK’s most respected journalists, for a VIP lunch as they discuss the important role nutrition plays in achieving optimum efficiency and maintaining mental clarity throughout the workday. Expect to feel empowered and to walk away with tips on how to flatten your glucose level to avoid the afternoon slump day in, day out.

  • Sarah Tan is the General Manager, Europe for Lingo, Abbott’s consumer biowearables division focused on helping consumers better their overall health and wellbeing through innovative technologies.

    Sarah has deep expertise working with consumer branded businesses, most recently in senior positions with Deliveroo (food delivery) and PepsiCo (packaged food). This followed almost a decade as a strategy and finance consultant advising on global deals in the retail, consumer, and leisure sectors.

    In her roles at Deliveroo as GM for Regional UK&I and GM Singapore, Sarah was a core part of the global leadership team, steering the business through major changes during the Covid pandemic and journey to initial public offering. An authentic and motivating leader, she gets her energy from bringing together large, diverse, cross-functional teams, drawing on her experience in both established multinational and scale-up environments.

    Originally from Australia, Sarah holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne. She enjoys travelling and interacting with different cultures, and has lived and worked in Australia, Europe and Asia.

  • Mariella Frostrup is one of the UK’s most respected broadcasters and columnists. Her contribution to arts and literature along with her advocacy on gender and social issues have placed her at the forefront of the cultural landscape. She made the groundbreaking BBC1 documentary The Truth about Menopause and she currently presents her own daily show on Times Radio covering issues of the day.

14.00-14.30: Shifting hearts and mindsets: Winning over influential male allies in the workplace by taking a very different approach -  C-Level Discussion

  • Anger, guilt and evangelism can very often be wasted emotions and approaches at work, where rationality and self-preservation reign supreme. Rather than fight the system, it can be better to unpack it and gently dismantle it, one mindset at a time. This panel will explore the male C-suite perspective, where we’ll hear very candid perspectives and experiences from men in business and their advice on how to cultivate workforces that support all genders.

  • Lori, a former teacher, worked in brand & management consultancy, advertising and at the BBC before co-founding the agency Joint in 2012, where she worked with clients including Amazon, Vue, Google and Reach.

    Alongside the day job she’s worked with various organisations that support minoritised people, including Terence Higgins Trust, Just Like Us, My Image My Choice, Women in Journalism, and serving in an Honorary role on the Exec of Women in Advertising & Communications Leadership (WACL).

    Lori left Joint in 2022 and has spent time talking with all kinds of men, from undergrads to grandads, to understand how we might get past the gender wars and ‘menemies’ mindset and build a future that works better for all. Her book 'No More Menemies' was published in July 2023; and her new consultancy The Others & Me helps businesses unlock growth opportunities that are often overlooked, by using gender as a tool for innovation, rather than a problem to solve or a box to tick.

  • Paul has over 20 years’ experience in building and leading some of the most disruptive and established consumer financial services businesses in the UK and overseas. He currently fills a range of roles as either Chair, Non-Executive Director, Board Adviser and/or investor in a range of disruptive financial services businesses.

    Amongst his executive roles Paul was the first Group Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Money, launching the business in the UK and Australia, before becoming the Managing Director of Consumer Banking & Payments at Lloyds Banking Group. Paul was the CEO of TSB Banking Group for seven years.

    Having previously been an adviser to the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer and HM Treasury on competition issues in banking, Paul is a passionate advocate for consumers’ interests and, amongst other current roles, Chairs Fairer Finance’s Consumer Advisory Board.

  • Varun Chandra is the global managing partner of Hakluyt, which advises leaders of the world’s largest companies and investment firms on the opportunities and risks facing their businesses.

    Prior to joining Hakluyt, Varun worked in investment and merchant banking, advising on M&A, private equity investments, and business development. Initially trained at Lehman Brothers, he went on to help build a regulated advisory firm for former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

    He sits on various charitable and commercial boards, including Sesame Workshop, the world’s leading early learning media platform, IP Group, Inc (an early-stage technology investment firm based in the US), the British Asian Trust, the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, and the Marylebone Cricket Club Foundation.

  • Since the beginning of Zilch, Ryan has been working with the founders, initially responsible for fund raising with global investors for the company's equity & debt capital. From Strategic Advisor to the CEO and Board in 2019, as a shareholder, he transitioned to the company’s executive management full time as the CCO. With an extensive investment and corporate advisory background from various big banks, today Ryan works daily directly with the CEO and exco, primarily focused on corporate strategy, investor/media relations and government policy.

14.35-15.05: Why Fatherhood Matters and How Industry Can Support Working Dads

  • A lack of shared parental leave takeup in the UK has a major impact on gender equity. The childcare affordability crisis and low take up by fathers of shared parental leave threatens to exacerbate gender inequality, and is pricing a growing number of women out of work. The shared parental leave system was introduced to encourage fathers to take more parental leave. However, it has had very low uptake from families, estimated at just 2-8% in 2019.

  • Elliott Rae is the founder of the parenting platform MusicFootballFatherhood, called the ‘Mumsnet for Dads’ by the BBC.

    Elliott is a media commentator on issues around fatherhood and mental health, having written for The Independent and The Telegraph and featured live on Loose Women, BBC News, Channel 4 and Radio 5 Live.

    Elliott is also the co-founder of the Working Dads Employer Awards which launched in Parliament in May and celebrates employers who are supporting working dads.

    Elliott is one of the UK’s most prominent speakers and writers on topics around fatherhood, masculinity, mental health, equal parenting and gender equality.

15.10-15.30: Case study: Translating the facts into a business case

  • Presenting a rational business case for women’s health policies is not a walk in the park. Particularly at male-dominated organisations, predominantly led by men. Hear how Ruth made a powerful, evidence based business case to senior leaders and decision makers, how she managed resistance and why it is so important to talk in the language of the majority to make a case for the minority.

  • Ruth Busby is People and Transformation Director for Great Western Railway (GWR) and Network Rail Wales and Western region, leading the people and internal communications agenda for over 11,000 colleagues in two organisations. As HR Director for GWR (until January 2023) Ruth’s focus on engagement, leadership, customer experience, kindness, equality, inclusion, diversity, and wellbeing led to industry leading engagement results and improved customer experience outcomes, in addition to the successful delivery of major change. Ruth is a leader on wellbeing and inclusion across the rail industry, as Executive Sponsor for Rail Wellbeing Live, and sponsor for a Samaritans study on improving the mental health of railway colleagues. Ruth is also a Non-Executive Director for Youth Futures Foundation (YFF), a not-for-profit organisation established to improve employment outcomes for young people from marginalised backgrounds. Ruth previously worked in Defence, Higher Education and the Civil Service before joining the rail industry.

15.35-15.55: Discussion: The Biological Business Case: What we Know About Critical Health Stages - The Latest Research

  • Dame Lesley Regan will accessibly break down the key stages in a woman’s life where we need to adapt and make workplaces more hospitable. We’ll also examine when biology is as much a productivity driver as a potential barrier.

  • Dame Lesley Regan is Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Imperial College London at St Mary's Hospital Campus where she continues her clinical practice in Reproductive Medicine. As Past President RCOG, she led the "Better for Women" report, published in December 2019, which shone a spotlight on taboo topics such as poor access to contraception, abortion, period problems, menopause and domestic violence and abuse. The key recommendation of this hard hitting report was the urgent need for an NHS-led Women's Health Strategy. In 2020, Lesley was awarded a DBE for her services to Women’s health in the late Queen's New Years Honours list. In June 2022 she was appointed Women's health Ambassador for England to help implementation of the DHSC's Women's Health Strategy.

  • Marissa is PwC’s UK Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer. Marissa has been a member of PwC’s Management Board for over 6 years. Marissa joined the UK Management Board in May 2017 as the Head of UK Deals, and subsequently moved on 1 July 2019 to be the Head of UK Tax. In January 2022, she was appointed to the role of Chief Operating Officer, and from 1 July 2022 to Managing Partner. In addition to her COO responsibilities, Marissa holds executive responsibility for the firm’s Sustainability strategy. Marissa also chairs the firm’s International Committee and its Investment Committee.

    Marissa has been with the firm for 30 years. For the last 27 years she has been advising private equity, sovereign investors and large corporate clients on tax related matters on transactions. Marissa is a Chartered Accountant with the ICAEW.

16.00-16.15: Break & Explore our partner pods

  • Grab yourself a coffee, network with peers and explore our amazing line up of partners on the Gallery level.

16.20- 16.50: One Size Does NOT fit all: How to Move Away from Generic Initiatives to Support Diverse and Complex Needs

  • A supported and happy workforce is a productive one. And businesses that acknowledge the complexity of women’s health journeys and life changes are more likely to generate better outcomes. So how can businesses move beyond the generic policies: i.e. one where salaries aren’t cut by 20% for a four-day week; where parental leave is considered beyond standard time lines and where every unique path is considered and respected? Hear and learn from innovative leaders on how to redesign workplaces for a new generation.

  • Amanda Arrowsmith is the People and Transformation Director at the CIPD, a role she assumed in October 2022. With over 25 years of experience in HR across public, private, and third sectors, Amanda brings a wealth of global HR knowledge and a unique understanding of diverse organisational cultures. She is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and has previously volunteered committee member, blogger, speaker, and panel member. She also volunteers as an independent committee member at the NCVO. Her broad expertise enables her to add value to businesses by focusing on the development of people and organisations in line with business strategy.

    As a speaker, Amanda is known for challenging the status quo and focusing on practical, real-world solutions. She is able to deliver thought-provoking insights and tangible takeaways. Amanda’s perspective on 'people and culture' emphasises the importance of individual stories in shaping a company’s culture and her advocacy for flexible working practices reflects her forward-thinking approach to talent management.

  • With over 15 years at The Estée Lauder Companies in the US and UK, Monica is Regional Director Inclusion, Diversity and Equity for the UK & Ireland responsible for leading the company’s internal and external approach to beauty inclusion, a role created in 2020. Monica leads a dedicated team that is responsible for defining the company’s ethos of belonging and authenticity. Over the past two years, she has led the development of ID&E strategy and its governance structure with a particular emphasis on the future of inclusive beauty for both employees and consumers working across education, marketing, communications, and innovation.

    Describing herself as a beauty-anthropologist, Monica is driven by the evolving quest to understand and fulfil every stakeholder’s beauty dreams, by decoding cultural nuances, beauty goals, and pain points ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to be heard, to participate, and be their authentic selves.

    From 2013 to 2020, Monica held the role of Cultural Relevancy Director, in which she pioneered the company’s understanding of how culture, tradition and race play a part in the consumers’ beauty needs, using these insights to provide the unique products and services relevant to these needs.

    Monica’s formal training and career started in beauty marketing and has provided her the foundation and principles of ensuring the people are at the heart of every action and initiative creating the emotive and personal connection with our brands and organization. She has worked on iconic brands in both regional and global capacities across all beauty categories.

    Monica holds a MBA in Marketing & Management from NYU Stern School of Business.

  • As an architect of change, Naomi works closely with business leaders to develop and drive the strategic vision of the HR function for the UK & Ireland, aligned to changing consumer preferences and the evolving market landscape. She is a commercially oriented HR leader that partners closely with the business to develop strong, authentic leaders and build high performing teams. She is passionate about career development and supporting each individual to understand their purpose and strive towards their own unique career aspirations.

    Naomi relocated from ELC Asia Pacific in Hong Kong to join the ELC UK & Ireland team in 2022, and brings more than 18 years of broad Global HR and business experience to her role.

    Prior to joining ELC, Naomi spent 15 years in HR leadership positions in the consumer goods, consulting and retail industries, with accountability within and across Australia and New Zealand, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa. She joined ELC from PepsiCo, where she spent eight years in senior roles in business partnership, change and transformation, organisation design, talent management, and learning and development.

    Originally from Australia, Naomi holds a Bachelor of Business Management, majoring in Human Resources, Industrial Relations & International Business from the University of Queensland.

16.55-17.25: PANEL: What Gets Measured Gets Managed: What Does Success Actually Look Like?

  • To make non-incremental gains we need to have a clear idea as to what success looks like. Increased employee engagement? Better retention overall? Focused retention of a specific group? Productivity? Profitability? This session will explore what different businesses are looking at to gauge success.

  • Helen Normoyle is a women’s wellness champion and has held Chief Marketing Officer roles with Boots, the BBC and DFS has also worked in the mobile technology sector with Motorola and in broadcast and telecoms regulation at Ofcom. She is a non-executive director at Allied Irish Bank, Ireland’s leading financial services provider and #1 digital bank, where she also chairs the Sustainable Business Advisory Committee. Helen is also a non-executive director of Travelodge.

  • Pamela is the Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Bloomberg. In this role, she leads the company’s global diversity and inclusion initiatives around the world whilst establishing strategic direction, goals, and accountability.

    Pamela is cited as one of the most visible and vocal thought leaders and advocates for diversity across the private sector and has more than 20 years’ experience in managing diversity across engineering, financial services, technology, and media.

    Pamela recently received an OBE in the Queen’s 2022 New Year’s Honours List for her services to Diversity and Inclusion in the Financial Services sector.

    Pamela was inducted as a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC) in 2020 and she serves on the Employers’ Board at The Global Institute for Women's Leadership (GIWL) at Kings College London. In January 2021, Pamela became a Trustee at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families.

  • Deborah B. Williams is the Founder & CEO of The Women's Association.

    Since starting her work in 2014, Deborah has worked with thousands of women and girls partnering with Sky, Stella McCartney, EY, Investec, Bloom & Wild, and more.

    In 2014 Deborah did a dissertation exposing her to some of the harsh realities of women in the workplace. This inspired her to start doing events bringing female professionals into schools, colleges, and universities. Two years later she went back and studied for an MBA at Open University alongside an MA in Gender and Women’s Studies at Lancaster University. She completed both masters in 2019 which is when she created The Women’s Association.

    Deborah’s mission is to make sure that women and girls have the support and infrastructure needed to dream freely and make those dreams a reality. Beyond this and most importantly, Deborah is a mum to her 2-year-old son, Zion, and 8-month-old daughter, Phoenix.

  • Anna Delaney is People Director at the AA, the UK’s largest motoring organisation. Over the last 22 years, Anna has held various HR roles across a broad range of sectors; in companies such as William Hill, RBS, The Forensic Science Service, Superdrug and Iceland.

17.30 - 17:40: Closing Session & Overview

  • Mariella Frostrup is one of the UK’s most respected broadcasters and columnists. Her contribution to arts and literature along with her advocacy on gender and social issues have placed her at the forefront of the cultural landscape. She made the groundbreaking BBC1 documentary The Truth about Menopause and she currently presents her own daily show on Times Radio covering issues of the day.

17.45: End of day networking drinks hosted by HAKLUYT

  • After a day of deep learning and discussions, join our evening networking drinks reception hosted by Hakluyt located in the battlebridge room. Drawing together speakers, partners, sponsors and attendees you will be able to informally network with other business peers, expand your network and enjoy an interesting evening at our spectacular venue.

All live talks are CPD accredited. Please ask a member of the WiW team on the day for details of how to download your CPD certificate and collect your CPD credits.