Fix the foundations. Measure what matters. Embed change.

The Impact Stage is where progress is made visible, and where conversations get practical, personal and participatory. It brings together the leaders, employers, and changemakers who are not only talking about change, but delivering it in practice.

Through live examples, applied discussion and shared learning, it explores what happens when leadership is turned into action and good intentions become measurable impact. This is a stage for the organisations, ideas and decisions already helping to reshape work for women in real and tangible ways, designed for those who want to dig deeper into the how of change.

Every session is interactive, with plenty of space to share ideas, ask questions, challenge assumptions and connect with others doing the work. This is not a stage for passive listening. It is a space for real talk, practical tools and fresh thinking you can take back and use.

VIEW INSPIRATION STAGE AGENDA
VIEW IMPLEMENTATION FORUM AGENDA

10.20am - 11.05am

More Than a Comeback: The Return On Investment After Maternity Leave

WITH:

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

Returning to work after children is about far more than surviving a successful first week back. For many women, it's a defining moment; one that shapes whether they continue to progress, feel visible, rebuild confidence, and stay on a leadership track. This session moves beyond policy and into practice, using scenario-based discussion to examine what genuine support looks like: in conversations with managers, in promotion decisions, in the everyday moments that signal whether someone still belongs on the path they were on. A grounded look at return, retention and progression; and what employers must get right if they want women not just to come back, but to move forward.

11.20am - 12.20pm

BFF or Frenemy: Can Flexibility Work for All? OR: session on the small changes employers can make to achieve the biggest strides

WITH:

  • Hosted by: Karen Blackett

    Former WPP UK President

  • Debbie Wosskow

    Women's Investment Taskforce

  • Anna Whitehouse

    Mother Pukka

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

Flexibility remains one of the defining issues shaping women's experience of work; but for many, it comes with an unspoken cost. Working flexibly is still too often read as a signal of reduced ambition, leaving women overlooked for stretch projects, promotions and leadership opportunities, even as that same flexibility is what keeps them in the workforce through the demands of childcare and beyond. This session puts that tension at the centre: examining the perceived penalties of flexible working alongside its proven power to retain talent long-term. Through facilitated discussion, we'll explore what employers must change — in culture, visibility and progression structures — so flexibility supports careers, rather than stalling them.

12.50pm - 1.50pm

Busting the snowflake myth: Will the real Gen Z please stand up?

WITH:

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

Flexibility remains one of the defining issues shaping women's experience of work; but for many, it comes with an unspoken cost. Working flexibly is still too often read as a signal of reduced ambition, leaving women overlooked for stretch projects, promotions and leadership opportunities, even as that same flexibility is what keeps them in the workforce through the demands of childcare and beyond. This session puts that tension at the centre: examining the perceived penalties of flexible working alongside its proven power to retain talent long-term. Through facilitated discussion, we'll explore what employers must change — in culture, visibility and progression structures — so flexibility supports careers, rather than stalling them.

1.55pm - 2.55pm

Generation lost? How to fix the broken promise of work for young people

WITH:

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

Britain's young people are facing a perfect storm. Over a million are not in education, employment, or training: the highest figure in over a decade. AI is reshaping the jobs market faster than policy can respond. And beneath all the economic anxiety, something culturally troubling is simmering: a generation of young men increasingly drawn toward anti-feminist attitudes, while young women push back. In this urgent, frank panel John O’Brien, Founder of Anthropy, asks: what does a fair future of work look like in reality, and who gets to have one?

3pm - 3.40pm

Strengthening the Future Leadership Pipeline: What Leading Employers Are Changing

WITH:

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

  • SPEAKER

    COMING SOON

Britain's young people are facing a perfect storm. Over a million are not in education, employment, or training: the highest figure in over a decade. AI is reshaping the jobs market faster than policy can respond. And beneath all the economic anxiety, something culturally troubling is simmering: a generation of young men increasingly drawn toward anti-feminist attitudes, while young women push back. In this urgent, frank panel John O’Brien, Founder of Anthropy, asks: what does a fair future of work look like in reality, and who gets to have one?