On 14 November we hosted a gala dinner in Cambridge to mark a decade of championing women in business. Since its launch in 2014, our Women’s Leadership Programme has helped more than 120 women thrive in senior roles. Created in partnership with People & Performance, the programme has created a huge collaborative network of female professionals across the east of England.   

The theme for the evening was ‘Celebrate, Continuity, Community’. It was a fantastic opportunity for previous delegates, their sponsors and peers to catch up and celebrate their achievements – from breaking through glass ceilings to leading transformative projects. We were also able to see how sponsorship from business leaders has helped organisations of all shapes and sizes champion and prioritise female leadership to create positive change.

An evening of reflection and inspiration

The evening was sponsored by Birketts and Foresight Group, and Lynn Walters, one of the founders of Pure and the programme welcomed everyone. Lynn reflected on the motivation for starting the programme which included a distinct lack of diversity on candidate shortlists for board recruitment and whilst progress has been made, our work is not yet done. Christina Youell, Programme Lead and Director of People & Performance, explained the many ways it’s positively impacted female professionals in our region over the last 10 years.

Birketts are a top 50 law firm with their head office in our region and are leading light on diversity within their sector. Grace Kerr, Partner and Head of Real Estate at Birketts, described how they’ve taken a long-term approach to diversity that has resulted in over 40% of their Partners now being female. Caroline Batchelor, Director of Pure, welcomed alumni Alex Nelson and Jenna Ackerley to the stage who described their experience of the programme, and how it’s shaped their leadership journeys since.

Fiona Hatch, Investment Director and Sustainability Lead at Foresight Group, shared examples of some of their most successful female founded businesses and how diversity and inclusion is a key criteria for their future investments. 

The evening's keynote speaker was Minnie Moll, Chief Executive of the Design Council. Lynn, Caroline and Christina then closed the dinner with tips to continue progress over the next ten years:

Christina Youell encouraged everyone to bring other women up behind you. She shared “take your own experience seriously, stop discounting your experience and get comfortable owning your competence.”

Caroline shared an encouragement to organisations, to have cheer leaders within the business who are encouraging females to flourish in their careers by providing coaching, sponsorship and mentorship. For aspiring women, take ownership of your career and ensure you have a clear development plan to support your transition through to increased leadership responsibility. 

Lynn’s shared that when you are next in a position to recruit, work collaboratively with your search partner to ensure no stone has been left unturned to achieve a diverse shortlist of candidates.

The evening closed with a chance for attendees to mingle and build their networks.

Lynn has this to say about the event: “this was a wonderful, uplifting evening. It was a pleasure to witness the warmth, positivity, support and kindness in the room. We’re very grateful to our speakers, sponsors and alumni who shared different perspectives and insights. We hope everyone left feeling inspired and empowered to play their part in strengthening the number of women reaching senior leadership roles across our region.’ 

Ready for some inspiration?

The Women’s Leadership Programme will continue to shape a brighter, more inclusive future for female professionals. If you, or someone you know, would like to be part of this, the 2025 programme starts in March 2025, continuing in June.  

Head to the website to find out more and sign up.