The Northern Women in Leadership Conference 2024
Pendulum Hotel, Manchester 3 July 2024, 9:00am - 4:45pm
9:00am
Delegate Registration and Networking
9:50am
Chair’s Welcome Address
Carol Ann Whitehead, Deputy Chair - CMI Women at Chartered Management Institute, and Co-Founder of Zebra Partnership
10:00am
Opening Keynote: Addressing and Tackling The Glass Ceiling
- What contributes to the glass ceiling? Barriers to leadership
- Culture and stereotypes as the main contributors to inequality
- The task of addressing the barriers at the organisational level
Asia Sharif, Multi-Award Winning Software Engineer @ NatWest, Engineering Mentor, Confidence Coach, Code First Girls Ambassador
10:20am
Providing Organisational Support To Aspiring Women Leaders: Case Study of Manchester City Council
- Barriers facing women wanting to advance their careers in the public sector
- Manchester City Council’s strategy to advance women in the organisation
- The impact of Staff networks at advancing women’s position
Joanne Roney, Chief Executive, Manchester City Council
10:40am
Mastering Leadership: Leading self and others through self-discovery
- Empower individuals to embark on a journey of self-discovery, fostering a deep understanding of their strengths, values, and leadership style for enhanced self-awareness
- Explore strategies to lead others effectively by integrating self-awareness, emphasizing collaboration, and nurturing team dynamics for collective success
Rita Chowdhry, CEO, Savran
11:00am
Questions And Answers Session
11:10am
Break and Networking
11:40am
Women of colour & LeadHERship
- Double Disadvantage : Glass Ceilings & Broken Rungs
- Barriers to career progression for Women of Colour
- Allyship: The Illusion of Inclusion
- Reimagining the future - LeadHERship in Colour
Saj Zafar, CEO and Founder, LeadHERship Academy™
12:00pm
Breaking The Brown Glass Ceiling: Why it's harder for WOC to progress to leadership in organisations
- Defining the brown glass ceiling
- What are the issues that women of colour face during their careers?
- What can you do in your organisation to support women of colour in their professional journey?
Ngozi Weller, Director at Aurora and a Board Member at Pro-Manchester
12:20pm
Navigating A Male-Dominated Industry: Case Study of Women in Football
- What it’s like to be a woman working in football
- How the industry is changing
- The importance of allyship and community
Yvonne Harrison, CEO, Women in Football
12:40pm
Questions And Answers Session
12:50pm
Lunch and Networking
1:50pm
Tackling Part-Time Penalty In The Workplace For Women’s Career Advancement
- Defining part-time penalty through emerging evidence
- Flexible and part-time working – a two-sided coin
- How can your organisation remove part-time penalty from its structures?
Jane van Zyl, Chief Executive Officer, Working Families
2:10pm
Supporting Women in Menopause Transition To Thrive In the Workplace
- What do we know about the impact that menopause has on women and their career progression?
- How can we support and retain women during this transition period?
- How to we enable line managers to offer the support required?
Professor Carol Atkinson, Professor of Human Resource Management, Centre for Decent Work and Productivity, Manchester Metropolitan University
2:30pm
Panel Discussion: Exploring The Complexity of Intersectionality in Recruitment, Retention, And Opportunities
- How does intersectionality impact career opportunities for women from different backgrounds? Effective strategies to counteract those influences
- Addressing unconscious bias in recruitment, and the complexity of intersecting identities in play
- Creating inclusive work environments and leveraging the power of flexible working and remote working policies
- Addressing microaggressions and workplace harassment
- The power of networking to advance women’s careers
Speakers:
- Amy Lynch, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Thoughtworks
- Aga Moczynska, Managing Director, Hussaria Group Ltd
- Asia Sharif, Multi-Award Winning Software Engineer @ NatWest, Engineering Mentor, Confidence Coach, Code First Girls Ambassador
- Rita Chowdhry, CEO, Savran
3:00pm
Break and Networking
3:20pm
The Impact Of Hybrid Working On Women's Career Opportunities
- The rise of hybrid working practices in recent years and its consequences
- Attitudes around hybrid working, as well as the impact on wellbeing and productivity
- What is the impact of hybrid working on women's career prospects?
Allison English, Deputy CEO, Leesman
3:40pm
Recruiting the Best: Unlocking Gendered Language
- Exploring and understanding latest research on gendered language
- The impact of gendered language on career opportunities for women
- Actionable strategies for fostering inclusivity and diversity for your organisation’s job adverts
Dr Alice Ashcroft, Founder, Digital Heard Ltd
4:00pm
Exploring Allyship – Accelerating Change By Genuine Advocacy Within and Outside Of Women Networks
- Encouraging allyship in your organisation – where do you start?
- The importance of women advocating for women
- Bringing men on the gender equality journey
Amy Lynch, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Thoughtworks
4:20pm
Questions and Answers Session
4:25pm
Chair’s Summary And Close
Carol Ann Whitehead, Deputy Chair - CMI Women at Chartered Management Institute, and Co-Founder of Zebra Partnership