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Hey Reader,

Last week we were blown away when over 100 changemakers joined us at the Women In Change Networking Summit 2023.

If you couldn't make it, we truly hope you'll join us for the next event! See what you missed below...

To all those who trusted us with your time, thank you. For your passion, your support, your energy and your inspiration.

Not a member yet? You can sign up here! 👇

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Here's a recap of the magic you helped create:

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🎤 What went down at the summit 🎤

After warm welcomes from our CEO and Founder, Sarah Bar-Lev and Katerina Pettitt of Gate One (our sponsors)...

... we kicked off with a session called 'Making Connections' with our very own Rebecca Moore facilitating some speedy vulnerability and trust building in the room - speed dating style!

“ What do really strong networkers do? They build relationships quickly based on real trust. And in order for someone to CHOOSE to trust us, we have to take a risk with a building block of vulnerability. — Rebecca Moore, Facilitator, Deepen

Our expert panel of leaders driving change took to the stage next, with WIC Co-Director Lou Robey asking questions of Alex Nicolaus (Paysend), Deborah McCann (Terumo Aortic), Tendai Wileman (Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust) and Emma Dagnes (Alexandra Palace and Park).

There were so many amazing insights from this group. Here are just a few:

💡 Partnerships and leadership support are the driving forces in the pursuit of personal and professional change. It’s essential that we are aligned in our shared messages to ensure impactful transformation.

💡 Keep saying “Why Change”. Don’t underestimate the importance of telling people why change is needed.

💡 Lead from the top down. We must hold leaders to account for delivering change.

💡 We are driving a movement of change ambassadors. Upskilling and nurturing those people is key to bringing about change and adoption.

After a break, Laura Bache, Occupational Psychologist and Co-Founder of Behaviour-Lab Consulting gave us a down-to-earth talk connecting the insights from psychology with the world of business change.

“ People are more open to change when they know what will stay the same. Leaders need to act as champions of change but also stewards and beacons of stability. — Laura Bache, Behaviour-Lab Consulting

Before lunch, we had our future-focussed, paradigm-shifting session from Caro Ruttledge and Umbar Shakir, Partners at Gate One Consulting, our event sponsors.

There was not a still pen (or digital pencil!) in the house. 🖋️

Caro and Umbar talked about how GenAI can be used to improve how we work and how we deliver change. It's a huge topic and they had us laughing throughout whilst thinking hard - touching upon ethics, rebellion, trust, experimentation and why we should all be ‘more Jeff Goldblum’.

After lunch, our breakout sessions kicked off with three sessions all focussed on Equipping YOU to Lead Change.

​Kate Avery of Revitalise Somatics delivered a session in the main room called "Embodied Adaptability and Resilience Through Change". She had participants on their feet and getting out of our heads and into our bodies.

Founding Women In Change members Tamara Judge (Keystone Coaching) and Erica Hodgson (Marjolo Solutions) led an interactive workshop called Unlocking Secret Strengths, asking the question "Can Secret Strengths Change the World?".

And in our 3rd breakout, Julie Smith of JCS Global Partners facilitated a session called "Mastering the Art of Feedback to Drive Change".

For our afternoon keynote, Amanda Scott, CEO Next Beauty, delivered an inspiring talk themed around scaling Mount Kilimanjaro and lessons in personal change, challenge and teamwork she learned from her big adventure.

“ Big goals are a powerful catalyst for both personal and professional growth. They encourage you to set your sights high and serve as a driving force to push you beyond what you think is possible. — Amanda Scott, CEO Next Beauty

Next, another amazing WIC founding member Jo Goldberg (Abbeyfield) hosted our 'Women Driving Impact' panel, during which Claire Preston (Power of Women), Jayne Manley (Earth Trust), and Bianca Robinson (CEO Sleepout) shared their missions in driving societal impact and benefitting both people and the planet, their hopes for the future, the challenges they’ve faced and the change they’re aiming to create in the world.

We were all left inspired to do more to support charities and not-for-profits doing purposeful work in the world.

Finally, our Women In Change directors wrapped up the day with an insight into our vision for the network, what to expect next year and how we're nurturing and professionalising the network as it grows.

Next year we're launching our series called 'The Long Lunch' in different locations across the UK (let us know if you'd like to host one!), and the inaugural Women In Change Awards.

Watch this space for more details!

Sarah thanked the amazing people who helped us make the day happen, including her husband extraordinaire Ben Bar-Lev, videographer Harry Howells of Spark Creative, our runners Shelbi and Libby, our sponsors Gate One and our fab network ops manager, Katie Jarrold.

And that's a wrap!

We'd love for you to be part of our network if you're not already. It's just £19/month, and you can cancel anytime.

With huge gratitude in our hearts, and until the next one...
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Sarah, Lou and Rebecca
Directors
Women In Change