Global Women's Leadership | Events

The Global Women’s Leadership Programme hosts an engaging range of events from skills based workshops and speaker events, to networking opportunities.

We have been delighted to welcome a number of distinguished guests including Sir Philip Hampton and Denise Wilson OBE of The Hampton-Alexander Review and Dame Inga Beale, the first female Lloyd’s of London CEO.

Our events are a mixture of in-person, online and hybrid events, and while some are targeted at students and alumni, a number are open to all those interested in women’s leadership. Many of our events are available to view again on the GWLP YouTube Playlist.

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Past events:

Women and the UK Growth Mission: Innovation, Finance and Leadership

3 March 2026

We are delighted to welcome Priya Guha MBE, a leader working at the intersection of technology, innovation and investment in the UK and globally.

In this fireside chat, Guha MBE will share insights from her career in venture capital and innovation policy, reflecting on the vital role women can play in driving the UK’s innovation-led growth. The discussion will celebrate the impact women are already making across the innovation ecosystem, while also exploring the barriers that remain — from low participation in STEM to ongoing disparities in access to funding for women-led ventures.

Gender, Labour Markets, and the 21st Century: Deconstructing Persistent Inequalities

23 October 2025

Why do gender gaps in pay, representation and opportunities still persist?

Join us on Thursday 23 October 2025 at Bayes Business School for an insightful event hosted by the Bayes Global Women’s Leadership Programme — a lecture on:

Gender, Labour Markets, and the 21st Century: Deconstructing Persistent Inequalities

Hear from Professor Barbara Petrongolo (University of Oxford, Fellow of the British Academy) as she explores why gender gaps remain in the labour market, how social norms shape career-family trade-offs, and what meaningful interventions can drive progress towards equality.

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Breaking Barriers: Female Entrepreneurs Innovating for the Future

26 February 2025

Although women are making strides in entrepreneurship, the path to innovation and success often comes with unique challenges and opportunities.

In this panel discussion, we’ll explore the journeys of trailblazing female entrepreneurs from diverse industries, including technology and talent development, food and family legacy, marketing and communications, financial wellness, and social enterprise.

These accomplished leaders and academics will share their experiences and perspectives in building businesses, fostering innovation, and driving impactful change.

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The power of self-advocacy

3 October 2024

An online, interactive coaching session to develop confidence and offer a powerful approach to self-advocacy, and give tools to effective negotiation. We placed a spotlight on self worth, to prepare for difficult conversations for personal career development.

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Watch again

Women leaders in male-dominated industries

Wednesday 24 April 2024

The Bayes Global Women’s Leadership Programme was pleased to welcome Antonia Dineen, Department for Transport; Lyanne Nicholl CEO of 50:50 Parliament; Natasha Terinova, Partner at REACH UK and Paulina Roszkowska, Bayes Lecturer in Finance to discuss the experience of women as leaders in male-dominated industries. The event was moderated by GWLP Director, Dr. Janina Steinmetz.

Although more and more women have occupied leadership positions, much of the progress toward gender equality had been made in female-dominated industries. In the panel discussion, the challenges faced by women who aspired to be leaders in male-dominated industries such as finance, tech, politics, and transport were discussed. The panel also talked about what it was like to be a female leader in such industries, what companies could do to become more gender-equal, and how women as well as men could support female leadership in male-dominated industries.

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The Wellness Trap - How wellness culture is impacting on women’s careers

March 2024, International Women’s Day

We were pleased to have welcomed Stephanie Alice Baker (City, University of London) and Daniella Isaacs (award-winning writer and actor) to discuss the ‘Wellness Trap’ - the power of misinformation and the sociological, emotional, and physical impact it had on women’s careers. The event was moderated by Global Women’s Leadership Programme EMBA Scholar, Natalie Bonnick.

Stephanie and Daniella presented their critiques of the wellness industry, the importance of policy to regulate information circulated online, and opened a debate about the future of modern wellness culture and its impact on women’s careers.

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Women’s Health: How fertility, menstruation, and menopause affect women’s career decisions

April 2023

We were pleased to have welcomed Sarah Garton (Managing Director at Accenture and Menopause Warrior); Saghar Kasiri (Embryologist and Director at Cryos International) and Dr Lara Owen (Academic and organisational consultant on menstruation and menopause) for this panel event.

We spoke about how fertility, menstruation, and menopause influence women’s career decisions and why these topics can be difficult to discuss in the workplace. We also addressed best practice and shared advice for employers on how to support women as they navigate health issues and their careers.

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Confidence Culture: Changing women, not the world

March 2023

In this talk, Professor Shani Orgad (LSE) and Professor Rosalind Gill (City) discussed their best-selling book Confidence Culture (Duke, 2022), and presented their critique of the confidence cult and argument for a feminism that goes beyond its individualising and neoliberal terms.

The book argues that imperatives directed at women to “love your body” and “believe in yourself” imply that psychological blocks hold women back rather than entrenched social injustices. Calls on women to embrace confidence may (temporarily) help women feel good (“you go girl!”) but end up blaming women for inequality whose roots are in systemic and structural arrangements.

The event was moderated by GWLP MBA Scholar Clarice Metzger.

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Work-Life Balance: Does it exist?

November 2022

Seen from the lens of diverse women, this in-person discussion at the Bayes Dubai Centre addressed the dilemma of work-life-balance in the lives of professional women. Our panel looked at the concept of balance and how it has evolved pre and post pandemic. GWLP Scholar Jumana Abu-Hannoud moderated the event with speakers Caroline Faraj , VP of Arabic Services (CNN) & member of the GWLP Advisory Council and Rana Ghandour Salhab, Partner, Exco member, Deloitte ME.

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Women on Corporate Boards: Why Boards need women, and the career path to get there

April 2022 

Women are and remain vastly underrepresented on corporate boards, although companies perform better when their boards are more diverse. Do we need quotas to increase the number of female boards members, or do other measures exists that can make corporate boards more gender-equal? What advice can we give women who are aiming for a corporate board? Listen back to the discussion with Professor Elena Beccalli, Professor Barbara Casu, Dr Sonia Falconieri and Dr Hans Frankort.

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How can public policy support a gender-equal future in the wake of Covid-19?

February 2022

The social and economic burden of the COVID-19 pandemic has fallen disproportionately on women. What can policy makers do to ensure that recovery efforts promote an inclusive, gender-equal future? Hear our discussion with Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson (Director, Women’s Budget Group) and Baroness Verma (Chair, UN Women UK).

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Doughnut Economics

October 2021

The Global Women’s Leadership Programme at Bayes Business School was delighted to welcome Carlota Sanz, co-founder of the Doughnut Economics Actions Lab (DEAL), to discuss the radical concept of Doughnut Economics. This exciting model was developed by DEAL co-founder Kate Raworth and offers a compass for human prosperity in the 21st century - with the aim of meeting the needs of all people within the means of the living planet.

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Men supporting women: How to be an inclusive leader

June 2021

In June we welcomed Pavita Cooper, Nikhil Rathi and David Smith, an expert panel discussing the critical role of men in developing organisations where everybody can thrive. Discussion points included why men should actively champion gender equity, how men can become more inclusive leaders and the practical steps they can take every day to support women at work.

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The privilege of power: how women in business can leverage their leadership to create more equitable workplaces

February 2021

Panel members: Isabel Berwick, Work & Careers Editor, Financial Times; Luigia Labelle, Founder and CEO, B'Inspired; Rana Salhab, People & Purpose Partner, Deloitte Middle East. The moderator was Kiara Goodwin, GWLP MBA Scholar.