Decade of Women’s Leadership Programme celebrated in Cambridge

Ten years on from the creation of the Women’s Leadership Programme, a gala dinner was held in Cambridge to celebrate its impact.

Devised by Pure, the Histon-based recruitment agency, with people development and consultancy firm People & Performance Ltd, the programme helps women identify barriers and overcome them and has helped build a professional support network.

The inspiring event on 14 November, sponsored by Birketts LLP and Foresight Group, brought together previous participants, their sponsors and peers who are interested in joining the community.

It celebrated how alumni have led innovative projects, broken through glass ceilings and have made great contributions to their fields while driving positive change across the region, by encouraging future generations of female leaders.

Lynn Walters, co-founder of Pure, created the programme with Christina Youell, of People & Performance, in 2014.

Lynn said: “I have learned so much from the women that have trusted us on this programme. It is wonderful to see the impact it has had on 122 women’s careers.

“Over 70 per cent of alumni have progressed their career following completion of the programme and over 63 per cent of alumni are still with their sponsoring organisation and making an even bigger contribution and demonstrating the return of investing in your women leader’s development.

“This has been a wonderful collaboration with Christina Youell that will have a lasting impact and I’m so pleased we took that decision 10 years ago.”

Christina spoke at the event, which also heard from alumni, Alex Nelson and Jenna Ackerley, Grace Kerr, partner and head of the real estate team at Birketts, and Fiona Hatch, investment director and sustainability lead at Foresight Group. The keynote speaker was Minnie Moll, chief executive at Design Council.

The programme offers tailored workshops and coaching sessions in safe and supportive spaces, while creating a huge collaborative network of female professionals across the East of England. Aided by sponsorships from business leaders, it has enabled organisations of all shapes and sizes to champion and prioritise female leadership and improve diversity.