8.20AM | Registration Open & Networking Breakfast

Brilliant conversations start to happen before the agenda starts. Arrive ready, grab a coffee, and find your people. The day ahead will move fast: this is your moment to settle in, make connections, and meet the people you'll still be talking to long after the closing drinks. The real work of Women in Work begins here.

8.45AM | Thank you & Welcome

Dr Nighat Arif welcomes you to the Women in Work Summit 2026.
Dr Nighat Arif is a GP specialising in women's health, family planning and menopause care with over 18 years of experience in the NHS and she runs her own private practice. She is an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She is a medical broadcaster on TV and Radio. She is a health content creator working with YouTube Health and the WHO Fides programme as well as co-host on a Podcast called “That Time of The Month”.
Dr Nighat is the Ambassador for Wellbeing of Women and co-founder of The Health Collective.
Dr Nighat is the recipient of the 2023 Prime Ministers 'Point of Light' Award in recognition of her work of raising awareness of Women's Health issues in the UK and the 2024 Woman of the Year at the Asian Achievers Awards as well as recognised with having her portrait in the National Portrait Gallery as one of the “LEGENDS” making waves in healthcare in the UK.
Dr Nighat Arif is the author of the bestselling The Knowledge: Your guide to female health from Menstruation to the Menopause, a fully inclusive and illustrated book on all things women’s health. Her work has been published in British Vogue, The Times and Good Housekeeping.

8.50AM | Why Keeping Women in Work is Everyone's Business

As Channel 4's first-ever female chief executive and now CEO of Superstruct Entertainment's 80-festival empire across 10 countries, Alex Mahon knows exactly what it takes to lead at the top of a male-dominated industry. But she's all too aware that work doesn't yet work for everyone - and like all of us here today - she refuses to accept a world where talent leaves the workforce simply because of gender. In these sharp five minutes, Alex will show us what's possible when women don't just enter the room, but thrive, lead, and - crucially - stay.
Alex leads one of the world’s leading live entertainment companies, operating more than 80 music festivals across Europe and Australia, including Germany’s Wacken Open Air and Barcelona’s Sónar.
She joined Superstruct in 2025 after nearly eight transformative years as CEO of Channel 4, where she made history as the first woman to lead a major UK broadcaster and successfully defended the organisation’s public ownership through two privatisation attempts.
At Channel 4, she drove the shift to a digital-first public service media company, building the UK’s largest free streaming service and dramatically expanding impact across the nations and regions. A passionate advocate for equitable representation, she has championed women’s health at work and disability inclusion throughout her career.

8.55AM | Women of Impact: The Leaders Changing Work in Practice

Talk is easy. Strategies get written, commitments get made, and progress gets announced. These women are actually doing it: using their influence, their platforms, and their power to create measurable change and reshape the world of work for the women who come after them. A conversation about what real impact looks like when intention stops being enough and action takes over.
Alex leads one of the world’s leading live entertainment companies, operating more than 80 music festivals across Europe and Australia, including Germany’s Wacken Open Air and Barcelona’s Sónar.
She joined Superstruct in 2025 after nearly eight transformative years as CEO of Channel 4, where she made history as the first woman to lead a major UK broadcaster and successfully defended the organisation’s public ownership through two privatisation attempts.
At Channel 4, she drove the shift to a digital-first public service media company, building the UK’s largest free streaming service and dramatically expanding impact across the nations and regions. A passionate advocate for equitable representation, she has championed women’s health at work and disability inclusion throughout her career.
Her path spans science, technology, and the creative industries. She began in Physics before earning a PhD in Medical Physics from Imperial College London, later leading global production powerhouse Shine Group and software firm Foundry. She also serves as a non-executive board member of Chanel Inc., bringing together creativity, technology, and business leadership in her role transforming live entertainment experiences.
Iris Bohnet is the Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government and co-director of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School. A behavioural economist, she combines insights from economics and psychology to improve decision-making in organisations and society, often through a gender and cross-cultural lens. She is the author of the award-winning What Works: Gender Equality by Design and co-author of Make Work Fair. Iris advises governments and companies around the world on embedding equity at work

9.15AM | The CEO Glass Ceiling Tracker: What’s Actually Changing at the Top

Progress, stagnation, or something more complicated? This new data on women reaching the highest levels of leadership provides a clear-eyed, evidence-led look at where genuine change is happening, where it's stalling, and what the gap between intention and reality still looks like at the very top. A data-led look at what is really happening when it comes to women reaching the highest levels of leadership. This session will examine where progress is being made, where it is stalling, and what the latest evidence tells us about the pace of change at the top. Get ready for a clear-eyed conversation about leadership, representation, and the structural barriers that still remain.
Pavita is recognised as a leading culture and diversity expert; she has over 30 years’ experience as an executive culture leader across a range of global blue-chip organisations, including Shell, Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group. Pavita has acted as an advisor to Boards, CEOs and executive teams across sectors that include financial services, energy, consumer and luxury goods. Pavita is a passionate advocate and relentless campaigner for greater equity across business and society. She is a regular speaker and media contributor on improving representation across business. Pavita is Chair of the 30 Percent Club UK, the oldest gender campaign in the UK. She is also at trustee of the King’s Trust and the Old Vic Theatre. Pavita is a previous recipient of Woman of the Year at the Asian Business Awards; in 2025 she was listed in the Powerlist of the 100 most influential Asians in the UK.
Mervyn Davies, Lord Davies of Abersoch, CBE is a British former banker and was previously a Labour government minister. Prior to Government, he was a Director, Chief Executive and Chairman of Standard Chartered PLC for 12 years.
Lord Davies is currently Executive Chairman of LetterOne and following a recent announcement, he is now Chairman of Holland & Barrett, tasked with leading the business through the next phase of growth and expansion.
Lord Davies is also Chair of the Advisory Board for Consello, Chairman of Glyndebourne Opera House and Chairman of Artfarm (Hauser & Wirth). He is also the former Chairman of the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association), finishing a successful tenure after the 2025 Wimbledon Championships.
Lord Davies is passionate about the arts, sports and business, and chairs a variety of private high-growth companies.
With football as one of Lord Davies’ long-standing passions, it was announced in 2025 that he is now co-owner of Salford City Football Club (SCFC), together with David Beckham, Gary Neville and Declan Kelly, of Consello. Lord Davies serves as the new Co-Chair of the Club’s Board.
Lord Davies was awarded a CBE for his services to the financial sector and the community in Hong Kong in June 2002 where he served as a member of the HK Exchange fund for seven years. Lord Davies is a JP in Hong Kong, and he is an Honorary Distinguished Professor at Cardiff Business School. He is a fluent Welsh speaker.
Lord and Lady Davies have been married for over 45 years, with two children and four grandchildren.
Until recently the Chief Executive of the FTSE50 Water utility, Severn Trent, the Midlands based company responsible for providing clean water and taking away waste water to around 9m people. Liv led the FTSE50 organisation for eleven years, during which Severn Trent was consistently acknowledged as the leading company in the sector, environmentally, operationally and financially. Liv chairs Two Circles (a global sports and entertainment agency) and is a NED at Brookfield Asset Management.
Before this Liv worked at BT for 12 years, her last role was as Chief Executive of Openreach, the engineering division of BT. In this role, Liv was responsible for the delivery of one of the fastest and most ambitious deployments of fibre broadband in the world. Before joining BT, Liv worked for Accenture, the management consultancy, where she spent five years in the retail and high tech practices.
Liv is originally from Harrogate in Yorkshire, is married with two boys and is a lifelong Evertonian.
Rita Clifton CBE is a portfolio chair and non-executive director of leading businesses as well as in start-up and non-profit sectors. She is also a writer, speaker and board mentor.
She graduated from Cambridge University and started her career in advertising, becoming Vice Chair and Strategy Director at Saatchi & Saatchi. She then joined Interbrand, the leading global brand consultancy, as London CEO and later became Chairman for a ten year term. Today, her non-executive board roles include Deputy Chair at John Lewis Partnership and Chair at Simplyhealth; previous board roles have included Ascential plc, ASOS plc, Nationwide Building Society, Bupa, Dixons Retail plc and as Chair of Populus, the opinion pollster and market research company. In 2013, she co-founded and chaired the global business consultancy BrandCap, which she later sold to the management group.
Rita’s pro bono board roles have included being a Trustee and now Fellow of WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature), a member of the UK Government’s Sustainable Development Commission, a Trustee of environmental thinktank Green Alliance and as Chair of The Conservation Volunteers. She is currently Chair of the leading international sustainability non-profit Forum for the Future.
She has been a regular media commentator and her writing has included the best-selling book ‘The Future of Brands’, The Economist book ‘Brands & Branding’ and most recently the new leadership book ‘Love Your Imposter’, which was endorsed by Hillary Clinton.
In the 2014 New Year’s Honours List, Rita was awarded a CBE for services to the creative industries. She was appointed a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.

9.40AM | A Moment With Mariella: Why the Companies Winning on Gender Will Win on Everything

One question has driven Women in Work from the beginning: what would work look like if it actually worked for women? Mariella Frostrup focuses on the challenge, raising the stakes; and reminding the room why getting this right matters not just for women, but for business, for the economy, and for the kind of future we're all trying to build.
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.

9.50AM | Through the Glass Ceiling: Mariella In Conversation with Róisín Currie, CEO, Greggs

Roisin Currie’s path to the top wasn't a conventional one: 20 years in HR at Asda, then over a decade rising through people and operations roles at Greggs, before becoming the company's first female CEO in 2022. In this session, Roisin will talk candidly about what it actually takes to lead a business where two-thirds of the workforce is female, but most of them are on shop floors and in bakeries working fixed shifts, not flexible hours – it’s a very different reality from the hybrid-working conversations dominating most boardrooms. Expect honest reflections on visibility, scrutiny, resilience, and the practical realities of building flexibility for people who can't simply log on from home; and why she still believes the unglamorous route – people, operations, retail floor – is often the strongest training ground for the top job. She discusses the scrutiny that comes with being a "first female CEO," plus her advice for the next generation of women aiming for the top job.
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.
Roisin grew up in Glasgow and graduated from Strathclyde University having read Business Law and Business Management. She embarked on a career with Asda, joining their Graduate Programme during the era of Archie Norman and Allan Leighton.
She spent 20 years in various roles and locations across the UK, including Head of Reward, Retail People Director and then latterly as Distribution People Director based in Leeds.
Roisin left to join Greggs in 2010 as Group People Director, becoming Retail Operations and People Director in 2017, and then Retail and Property Director in 2021, before being appointed to Chief Executive in May 2022. In July 2024, Roisin was appointed as an independent Non-Executive Director of Howdens.
Roisin is Chair of the Employers Forum for Reducing Re-offending - a voluntary role working with the Ministry for Justice and New Futures Network encouraging employers to give people a second chance to change their lives having been through the Criminal Justice System. Roisin was instrumental in the conception of Greggs’ ‘Fresh Start’ employability programme, designed to help encourage and support people leaving prison into paid employment within Greggs.
Roisin is also a trustee of the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.

10.20AM | The Progress Playbook: Measuring the Small Steps that Make a Mighty Difference

Forget the moonshots and the grand transformation strategies. The research is in - and it turns out the most powerful breakthroughs in gender equity are often hiding in the smallest, most overlooked decisions. The positive meeting culture. The sponsorship conversations that actually happen. Flexibility that exists beyond a policy. Drawing on new research insights from Ipsos, Women in Work, and Octopus Energy, this session reveals what the marginal gains actually are, and how organisations can start making them today. A powerful reminder that meaningful change is often built through incremental behavioural shifts that add up over time.
In 2015, Anna founded Mother Pukka - a platform that became a rallying point for parents navigating the highs and lows of modern-day life. Drawing on her own experiences as a working mother, Anna launched the Flex Appeal campaign to challenge the outdated and inflexible working practices that disproportionately affect women, particularly those with young children. Her call was simple but powerful: flexible working should be the norm, not the exception.
Over the years, Anna’s campaign has evolved into a nationwide movement, culminating in a historic victory in 2024 when the Flexible Working Bill was passed into law. This groundbreaking legislation gives all workers the right to request flexible working from day one and ensures that employers provide greater transparency and fairness for workers across the UK. The new law also allows employees to submit up to two requests per year, making it easier for individuals to manage work-life balance without fear of discrimination.
For Anna, the passing of the Flexible Working Bill was the culmination of years of tireless campaigning, but she remains resolute in her belief that there is still much work to be done. Her advocacy continues to focus on normalising flexible working across industries and ensuring that workplace policies promote inclusivity, equality, and well-being for all.
Kerri O’Neill is an award-winning senior executive with over 20 years of experience in human resources, change, cultural transformation and organisational effectiveness. She is a qualified Executive Coach.
Kerri is Chief People Officer at Ipsos UK and Ireland and its global AI workforce transformation lead. Ipsos is one of the world’s leading polling and public opinion organisations with 20,000 employees and listed on the stock exchange in Paris.
Prior to this, Kerri was Chief People and Transformation Officer at the UK tech and media regulator Ofcom for 5 years where she has played a pivotal role as the organisation has become one the first bodies globally to regulate online safety and telecom security capabilities. She has pushed the boundaries at Ofcom, bringing in top tech talent and making the organisation the most diverse it has ever been. Under her leadership, Ofcom has been listed as a ‘Times Top 50 Employer for Women' on three occasions. She has also made great strides in strengthening the capabilities and reputation of the HR function.
Previously, Kerri spent 2 years at national retailer House of Fraser Group and 12 years with financial services organisation Aviva working in UK and Asia Pacific, latterly driving the ‘Employee Insight’ and ‘Future of Work’ agenda.
Alongside this she is Trustee and Non Executive Director of Oxfam GB, a leading international charity focused on fighting poverty and injustice. A member of the CIPD AI Advisory Board. Vice-Chair of a UK National Portfolio Arts and Culture organisation, Farnham Maltings and Ambassador for a girls empowerment charity, Global Girl Project. Her first book is being published in 2026, called Rapid Reculturing: Transforming Organisations at Pace and Scale, Kerri brings a practical and relatable guide to leaders on how to evolve culture in the times of change we are experiencing.
Kerri is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, read History at University of Durham and lives with her husband, daughter and cat in Farnham, Surrey.
Bio coming soon.
Fiona Howarth founded Octopus Electric Vehicles - part of the entech unicorn Octopus Energy Group - to make driving electric easy and affordable. Since launching its leasing business in 2021, the company has raised over £2 billion, helped 50,000 drivers and 7,500 companies, and earned recognition as a Sunday Times Best Place to Work.
Passionate about the planet, Fiona also founded the climate community Earth Set and serves on the boards of TransitionZero and Open Climate Fix, both using AI to accelerate clean energy systems globally.
At the heart of it all is the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive - from different genders and backgrounds, today and in future generations. This includes creating environments where everyone can work, lead and just be brilliant; and creating products that are great for customers, employees and the wider community.

10.50AM | Coffee & Networking Break

A chance to continue the conversations sparked by the morning sessions, reconnect with peers and meet speakers, partners and fellow guests.

11.15AM | AI and Opportunity: Who Gets Access, Who Gets Left Behind

AI is creating the biggest shift in working life in a generation. New roles, new skills, new routes to influence and earning power... And new ways for existing inequalities to quietly entrench themselves if no one is paying attention. This panel asks the question too many organisations are still avoiding: within your workforce, are women getting equal access to the training, exposure, sponsorship and opportunity that AI is unlocking? A forward-looking conversation about how organisations can help ensure women are part of the future of work, not left behind by it. The technology is neutral. What we do with it is not.
Bio coming soon.
Nicola Hodson was appointed Chair, IBM UK and Ireland, in January 2025. Prior to taking on this role, Dr Hodson served as Chief Executive IBM UK and Ireland, a position she held for two years.
Dr Hodson is an accomplished technology industry leader with a deep understanding of the challenges facing the tech industry, as well as extensive experience in business and digital transformation. In 2023 and again in 2024, Dr Hodson ranked highly in Computer Weekly’s list of the 50 most influential people in UK technology, and in CRN’s 2024 A-List.
Dr Hodson held senior positions at Microsoft for 15 years, including as a global leader of the transformation of the Microsoft commercial sales, marketing and operations business and UK Chief Operating Officer covering its UK commercial and consumer business.
As Deputy President of techUK, the trade association for the IT industry, Dr Hodson has a wide breadth of experience and understanding of the tech sector, from large companies to start-ups, coupled with significant experience in the energy sector. She has extensive Board experience across multiple sectors, including Beazley plc, Drax Group plc, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). She has formerly served as a non-executive at Ofgem, the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) group, as a governor of Bradfield College, and as a director of start-up Bramble Energy.
Dr Hodson previously worked in the IT and business services division of Siemens, at CSC (now DXC), as a management consultant for EY and in the nuclear industry at BNFL.
Dr Hodson holds an MBA and a PhD in Engineering. She is married with three sons and two stepsons, loves outdoor pursuits and is a keen motorbike enthusiast.
Janine Chamberlin is UK Country Manager at LinkedIn and Vice President, Talent Solutions. In her role, she is responsible for driving member growth, strategic partnerships and revenue across the UK, as well as leading sales teams around the world as they help companies to attract and develop the talent they need to succeed. With 41+ million members in the UK and over 1.1 billion members globally, LinkedIn’s vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.
Janine has 16 years of experience building and leading teams at LinkedIn having joined the company in its infancy in 2008. She has advised customers and clients on their marketing and workforce strategies, and helped to grow LinkedIn’s Marketing Solutions and Talent Solutions businesses. Prior to LinkedIn, Janine held positions at Wanadoo and Orange UK, where she led online advertising teams.
Janine is passionate about technology, diversity and talent, and helping companies to develop strategies to scale and grow. In 2017, she completed a master’s degree in Consulting and Coaching for Change at INSEAD.
Edyta Prazuch is shaping how organisations move from AI experimentation to real performance. As a Principal at Mercer, now Marsh, and Digital Lab Leader for Mercer Career UK, she plays a dual role – leading AI transformation from within, while advising senior executives across industries on where to focus, invest and scale. Working at the intersection of technology, work and workforce, Edyta helps leaders rethink the very operating system of their organisations – designing new models of human–machine collaboration that unlock sustainable advantage. Known for challenging conventional thinking and cutting through the hype, she combines strategic insight with hands-on experience to help organisations move decisively from experimentation to making AI truly mainstream.

11.50AM | Women’s Health as a Business Strategy, Not a Benefit

Menstruation. Fertility. Pregnancy. Menopause. Midlife. These are not niche wellbeing concerns or sensitive HR edge cases: they are lived realities shaping the productivity, retention, progression and participation of half the workforce, every single day. This session makes the case that women's health is not an optional extra or wellbeing add-on. In reality, it sits at the heart of retention, participation, productivity and progression. This keynote reframes women’s health as a serious business issue, exploring why organisations must better understand and respond to the realities that shape women’s working lives, through all its stages.

12.25PM | Breaking Barriers, Building Futures: A Conversation with Cherie Blair on Ambition, Resilience, and the Next Generation of Women

From forging a career at the very top of the legal profession to becoming a global advocate for women’s rights and economic independence, Cherie Blair has spent her life challenging expectations and opening doors for others.
In this candid conversation, Cherie reflects on the ambition and resilience that have shaped her own journey, the barriers women still encounter in leadership and why economic independence remains so important to equality. She will explore what it takes to keep moving forward when the path is neither straightforward nor fair, and the role that confidence, opportunity and strong support networks play in helping women fulfil their potential.
Looking to the future, the conversation will ask how today’s leaders can create more opportunities for the women coming behind them and what must change if the next generation is to inherit workplaces in which ambition is encouraged, talent is recognised and no woman’s future is limited by her gender.
Jo Farmer is part of our Women of Impact Group and Joint Managing Partner at Lewis Silkin, a law firm focused on what really matters to business – its ideas and its people. Lewis Silkin is a firm that has always followed its own path, purposefully challenging the norm, and seeking to help shape the future by working with individuals and businesses who are forging the way forward across innovation, tech, and creativity.
Jo plays a pivotal role in steering the firm's strategic direction and fostering a culture of inclusivity and innovation. With a deep commitment to social mobility, Jo has been a vocal advocate for creating opportunities within the legal profession for individuals from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. Her personal journey and professional achievements have inspired many, as she actively campaigns for greater social mobility in the legal sector, ensuring that talent and potential are recognised regardless of socio-economic background.
She has also been instrumental in implementing a ground-breaking parental leave policy at Lewis Silkin, which allows all new parents to take up to 52 weeks of leave, with 26 weeks at full pay, regardless of gender or sex. This policy is designed to support both parents in balancing their professional and personal lives, and to challenge outdated gender stereotypes in the workplace. Rather uniquely, Jo didn’t want this policy to be a USP for Lewis Silkin, but rather set the industry norm and has therefore challenged other law firms to follow suit and has proactively offered to share the policy so that other can understand, learn and implement themselves. Jo's efforts in this area have not only benefited the Lewis Silkin's employees but have also set a benchmark for the legal industry, promoting a more equitable and supportive environment for all.
In addition to her leadership roles, Jo is a leading lawyer in the field of advertising and brand reputation and is recognised as an Eminent Practitioner by Chambers UK. She advises a range of high-profile clients, from brand owners and content creators to communications agencies and media platforms.
Cherie Blair CBE KC is a leading King’s Counsel and committed campaigner for women’s rights. Cherie set up the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women in 2008 to support women in low- and middle-income countries to so that they can be financially independent, have a stronger voice in their societies, and create lasting impact in their communities and economies. She is also founder of Omnia Strategy, a pioneering international law firm that provides strategic counsel to governments, corporates and private clients.
Cherie is an advocate and ambassador for women entrepreneurs globally, working tirelessly to encourage the private sector, governments and civil society to support women business owners.
Cherie was awarded a CBE in 2013 for services to women’s issues and to charities in both the UK and overseas.

12.50PM | Networking Lunch

A longer break to refuel, connect, and continue the conversation across the Women in Work community.

2.05PM | The Generation Game: Beyond Stereotypes to the Age of Inclusion

Five Generations. One Workplace. Now What? For the first time in history, our workplaces are home to five generations: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z - each bringing their own perspectives, experiences, scars and strengths to the table. And soon, Gen Alpha will be joining the party too. The headlines love to play up the clashes. This session is interested in something far more powerful: what happens when we stop pitting generations against each other and start unlocking what they can offer one another instead. Four women. Five generations. One honest conversation about gendered ageism, invisible experience, underestimated youth, and the skills we lose when we fail to build workplaces that genuinely value every stage of a woman's working life. What holds each generation back? What can they give each other? It's time to find out...
Lyndsey is CEO and founder of 55/Redefined. A serial entrepreneur and recognised industry voice, Lyndsey has been named one of the UK’s Top 35 Businesswomen by Management Today and The Sunday Times, and one of the UK’s 50 Most Inspirational Female Entrepreneurs.
Her insights on the ageing population have been featured in the likes of The Financial Times, The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, City AM, Sky, ITV, Yahoo! Finance, The BBC, and Bloomberg.
Lyndsey is the author of The Age Rebellion: Supercharge the Second Half of Your Life, an international bestseller. She is an entrepreneur and expert on navigating life and careers for those in mid and later career stages.
Her company, 55/Redefined is redefining work for the 100-year life. Its solutions are powered by a unique dataset, leading technology and supportive consultancy. It enables businesses to reduce risk, while increasing engagement and productivity, by helping leaders turn longevity into a business advantage, not a cost. 55/Redefined is trusted by over 300 corporates around the world, including Amazon, A&O Shearman, AXA, Barclays, Canada Life, dentsu, Diageo and Tesco. The company operate across 31 US states and over 10 countries.
Baroness Geeta Nargund is a leading women's health expert, pioneering fertility specialist and lifelong advocate for gender and health equality. A Professor, entrepreneur and campaigner, she has dedicated her career to making fertility care safer, more accessible and more affordable for women across the UK and internationally.
Founder of CREATE Fertility and abc ivf, Baroness Nargund pioneered the use of Natural and Mild IVF, helping to transform fertility treatment through more patient-centred approaches. Alongside her clinical work, she has championed greater access to reproductive healthcare, fertility education and policies that tackle health inequalities.
A Life Peer in the House of Lords, Baroness Nargund is a prominent voice on women's health, diversity and social equality. She also serves as Chair of The Pipeline, Pro-Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth, an Authority Member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), Honorary Professor of Women's Health at City St George's, University of London, and Founder and Trustee of the Health Equality Foundation.
Recognised internationally for her clinical leadership, research and public advocacy, Baroness Nargund continues to influence policy, healthcare and workplace equality, driving meaningful change to improve outcomes for women and future generations.
Bio coming soon.
Mia Balogun is a passionate brand marketer with experience building globally recognised brands through strategic partnerships, digital engagement, and integrated marketing. Currently she is the Assistant Brand Manager at McDonald’s UK&I where she sits within the Loyalty & Partnerships team delivering customer engagement initiatives across the McDonald’s app that strengthen loyalty, enhance the digital customer journey, and drive business growth.
Before joining McDonald’s, Mia was the Global Brand Marketing Coordinator at The Walt Disney Company within consumer products, delivering high impact campaigns across iconic brands and franchises including Marvel, Stitch, Winnie the Pooh, Disney Princess and more, plus partnering with global licensees such as P&G, Funko, LEGO and Just Play to bring integrated campaigns to life.
Before Disney, she was the Global Marketing Executive for the award-winning Monkey Shoulder whisky. There, she led marketing initiatives spanning digital, CRM, advocacy, content, shopper, and brand experiences, helping strengthen the brand’s global presence.
Mia combines strategic thinking and storytelling with strong stakeholder collaboration and project management. Most importantly - she believes in leading with kindness, compassion, bringing positive energy and creating environments where teams and partners can thrive.
Heather is the UK CEO of Grayling and has spent more than 15 years advising some of the world's largest companies and brands in the UK and internationally. She is a trusted adviser to business leaders navigating periods of significant change, and a leading UK media expert and commentator. Heather is recognised as one of the industry's most established experts in leading integrated campaigns that help drive trust, reputation, and business growth. She has won seven Cannes Lions, including a Gold Lion for 'Creative Commerce'. In her role as UK CEO, she oversees Grayling's 200 employees in the UK, across nine different offices. Heather is passionate about increasing diversity and inclusivity in the workplace and has placed this front and centre of Grayling's business strategy, delivering work that inspires and motivates, bridges the diversity gap, removes barriers, and empowers individuals.  Her desire to create an equitable agency has forged several pioneering partnerships, including Global Purpose Enterprise, PR Mums, Creative Access, Lexxic Neurodiversity Experts, Tommy’s and MeVitae. Heather has also launched six new Employee Resource Groups from diverse backgrounds, experiences, races, sexualities and neurodivergent traits. These groups cover LGBT+, Parenting, Wellbeing and Mental Health, People of Colour, Faith and The Women’s Network.
Mary Bekhait is considered one of the most powerful figureheads in the global entertainment industry in her role as CEO of leading global talent agency YMU. Since taking over the helm in 2021, she has overseen a radical rebrand of the company, transforming the agency into a progressive business spearheaded by women, representing some of the most elite names in the entertainment industry. She has delivered international growth across YMU's core sectors of Sport, Music and Entertainment with the acquisition of renowned sport talent and gaming agency, DSM, the launch of COAL music led by industry heavyweight J Erving, the launch of YMU Social (the undisputed market leader in the U.K.) and YMU Literary whose MD has been nominated for Literary Agent of the Year three years running. One of Mary’s proudest achievements at YMU has been closing the gender pay gap dramatically from 29 to 2.5% and as a result YMU has become a rarity for a scaled talent agency in that it has a female Chair (CEO of X, Linda Yaccarino, who Mary appointed in 2023), a female CEO in Mary, and multiple female MDs and directors. As CEO she has transformed YMU Group into a more social first business with a global outlook and perspective – she oversees the company’s operations across their London, New York, Washington and LA offices, enhancing the talent roster to focus on what she calls “truly global elites”. She is also cognizant of the power of a diverse workforce and is determined to use her influence to inspire a new generation women and girls to reach the top. Establishing YMU as a leader in talent management has enabled Mary to attract entertainment heavyweights Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger, Paris Hilton, Emily Ratajkowski amongst other high-profile figures in entertainment, sports and music.

2.45PM | Competing for Talent in a Rewritten Workforce

Women aren't asking for more. They're asking for better, and increasingly, they're walking away from organisations that can't deliver it. Trust, flexibility, genuine progression, support through different life stages: these are no longer differentiators. They're the baseline. This panel explores what forward-looking employers are doing differently to compete for female talent: and why the organisations that keep losing women at key moments are running out of time to figure it out.
Anna is the London Office Senior Partner for KPMG, Chair for the London Region and a Vice Chair of the UK firm. She leads our work with Private Enterprise clients out of London, and our Professional Services client base across the UK. In addition to chairing the ‘London Leaders’ Circles’ Anna is responsible for building strong relationships with a broad range of organisations across London. Prior to this role, Anna held COO roles and from 2017 – 2020, was Head of People for KPMG in the UK and Executive Board member.
She was responsible for the strategic and operational aspects of HR, Learning and Culture with in the UK, enabling KPMG’s ambition to be a Magnet for Talent through attraction, development and retention of talented people at all levels of the organisation.
Bio coming soon.
Bio coming soon.
Bryn is a highly experienced employment lawyer with more than 20 years' experience advising businesses of all sizes. He advises on the full spectrum of employment and workforce issues, with particular expertise in employment tribunal litigation, workplace disputes, grievances, investigations and training. Bryn is Co-Chair of the Manchester Law Society Employment Law Forum and an elected member of the Manchester Law Society Council.
Allison Green is Chief People Officer at Biffa, one of the UK’s leading sustainable waste and resource management businesses.
She loves dogs.
She is also passionate about people, leadership, culture, and creating workplaces where everyone can build ambitious, rewarding careers without feeling they need to leave their true self at the door.
Alongside her role at Biffa, Allison is Chair of Achieve Together, a PE-backed business, a Non-Executive Director at Community Shop Group, and a member of the Ethics Committee at Chester Zoo.
Allison’s career has taken her from holiday parks and Youth Hostels to BrewDog PLC where she held a number of senior roles before becoming CEO of BrewDog USA leading the business through significant growth. She subsequently returned to the UK to become Group People Director at B&M Retail before joining Biffa as Chief People Officer in 2024.
This breadth of experience, spanning entrepreneurial high-growth businesses, listed companies, PE-backed organisations and purpose-led enterprises, gives Allison a broad perspective on leadership, culture, people and what really makes businesses succeed.
Allison is straight-talking and curious, with a particular interest in the conversations that challenge conventional thinking. She is passionate about creating workplaces where people can succeed by being themselves, while supporting others to do the same.

3.10PM | Coffee & Networking Break

An afternoon pause to reconnect, reflect and continue conversations before the final run of sessions.

3.30PM | Financial Power: The Lifetime Impact of Today’s Decisions

Every career decision a woman makes today is a financial decision she'll be living with decades from now. Pay gaps compound. Pension gaps widen. Caring breaks leave marks that never fully disappear. This session joins the dots between the everyday choices: the part-time arrangement, the salary not negotiated, the promotion not taken: and their real, long-term impact on women's financial independence and security. Economic agency isn't a benefit: it's the whole point.
A celebrated medical doctor and academic, Dame Jane Dacre has been actively involved in addressing the gender pay gap in medicine, leading a review into pay disparities. Her work led to recommendations for improving job evaluations, reducing pay scales and providing flexible working options to support women in their careers. She is also a prominent advocate for women in the medical field, supporting initiatives that promote equality and recognition of women’s contributions to healthcare.
Jill Henderson celebrates 26yrs at Scottish Widows this year, having spent most of this time in and around Workplace Pensions. Most recently Jill took on the role as Head of Workplace Strategic Relationships, building relationships with financial advisers, consultancies, and workplace clients. Previous roles include interim Head of Workplace Relationships, and Partnership Director.
Jill has a long-standing passion for financial equality, and is Co-Chair of the Sottish Widows Women in Retirement workstream.
Dr Zara Nanu MBE is a Professor in Practice at the University of Bristol Business School, sits on the Harvard Kennedy School Women’s Leadership Board, and co-chairs the West of England Combined Authority’s Women’s Commission.
Zara is the CEO and Co-Founder of WorkVue, where she works with organisations to democratise data about work and engage employees in conversations about the future of work. She previously founded Gapsquare, a pioneering pay equity analytics platform acquired by RELX. She holds a PhD in Political Science and an Honorary PhD in Business Administration, and was awarded an MBE for her services to gender equality in business. Her book, The Payslip: A Leader’s Guide to Fixing Pay Before AI Rewrites the Rules, is forthcoming in May 2027.
Bio coming soon.
Bio coming soon.

4.05PM | Joined-up Government: Delivering for Women at Work

It’s 2026, but what has actually changed, and what will change next?
For the first time at Women in Work, representatives from across government, spanning health, employment, employment rights and equalities, will share one stage to answer that question together.
Chaired by Mariella Frostrup in her capacity as Women’s Employment Ambassador, the panel will tackle the issues shaping women’s working lives: the gender pay gap, childcare and parental leave, women’s health in the workplace, pension inequality and the employment rights agenda. Crucially, it will also explore how departments are working together to turn commitments into measurable change.
A candid and constructive conversation about progress, priorities and what happens next. Not to be missed.
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.

4.35PM | Through the Glass Ceiling: In Conversation with Dame Carolyn McCall, CEO, ITV (and current president of Marketing Society)

Dame Carolyn McCall is the rare executive who has been chief executive of three very different organisations: Guardian Media Group, easyJet, and now ITV. Unlike most career CEOs, McCall didn't come up through one industry: she moved from newspapers to aviation to broadcasting, starting her career as a marketing planner at the Guardian and working her way up through sales, with no aviation background when she was approached to run easyJet. On stage, she'll talk honestly about what it actually takes to build a career as a serial CEO rather than a one-time appointment; the skills that transfer between industries, the ones that don't, and how she built credibility each time she moved sectors. She'll also discuss the often-overlooked role of sponsorship: the Chairs and Boards who backed her, took a chance on an "outsider," and opened doors at pivotal moments, and what good sponsorship actually looks like in practice, beyond the word being a buzzword. Expect reflections on being one of only a handful of female FTSE 100 CEOs, what's genuinely changed since, and her honest advice for women who want a career built on repeat top jobs.
Liz is the Global Head of Deal Advisory at KPMG, and also leads the Global Life Sciences sector. Liz has spent the majority of her 18 year partner career advising clients across the Consumer, Retail and Life Sciences sectors on large, complex carve out transactions & transformations.
Liz is a dedicated leader, mentor and advocate for inclusion, diversity and equality and co-chair of the KPMG Senior Business Women’s Network.
Dame Carolyn McCall OBE is CEO of ITV plc, which has undergone a significant transformation to ensure it thrives and succeeds in a ferociously competitive digital media world. Under Carolyn's leadership since 2018, ITV has successfully transitioned from a linear organisation to a strong linear and digital media, entertainment and global production business.
Between 2010 and 2017, Carolyn was CEO of easyJet, leading a turnaround that resulted in a customer-focused airline that made it easy and affordable for passengers. The share price quadrupled during her tenure. From 2006 to 2010, Carolyn was CEO of the Guardian Media Group, leading six Divisions and creating the investment trust that helped to secure the Guardian's financial and editorial independence. From 2002, she was CEO of Guardian Newspapers Ltd.
Carolyn joined the Board of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation in 2024 and sits on the Finance and Commercial Committee. She also currently serves as a Non-Executive Director (NED) on the Board of Bridgepoint plc, and is the newly appointed President of The Marketing Society. She has previously served as a NED of Burberry, Tesco, Lloyds TSB and New Look Group plc. She served as a Trustee of the Royal Academy for 8 years, and Chaired their Corporate Advisory Board during this time.
In 2016, she was awarded a DBE for services to the aviation industry and received an OBE in 2008 for services to women in business. She was named Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year in 2008 and has received awards for business leadership from the Evening Standard and City AM. She has been named the most admired leader by Management Today three times, the only person to have won the award for two separate companies.

5.00PM | Closing Remarks

This is not the end - it's a starting pistol. Mariella will run through the themes of the day, the ideas that landed hardest, and issue a challenge to carry them back into every boardroom, HR strategy, hiring decision, and conversation that follows. The summit ends here, but the work it asks of all of us does not.
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.

5.10PM | Closing Reception: Drinks, Canapés & Conversation

The agenda is over but the conversations are still buzzing. We keep going with an opportunity to continue the chat informally, celebrate the day, and deepen connections across the Women in Work community.

Thursday 8th October, Kings Place, London