Balance The Board:
Accelerate Together
The Balance the Board Conference is back for its fifth year.
A few highlights from previous years…
Conference Sponsors
OCTOBER 5 | London
Location
Goodwin Proctor, 10-15 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7AZ
Registration from 1:30pm
Conference: 2pm - 6pm
Drinks reception
6pm - 8pm
Conference Partners
Join us to help shape the leadership landscape of tomorrow - one that reflects the world we live in, and leads with purpose, authenticity and impact.
Each ticket includes entry to the conference and the drinks reception for one.
The venue is accessible - please let us know your specific accessibility requirements via info@balancetheboard.co.uk
Designed for Board and C-level professionals, founders and advocates from across industries to challenge conventional thinking and champion inclusive leadership at the highest levels.
Nicola Bird is a British abstract artist creating original paintings that mark the things that matter.
For Balance the Board, Nicola has created six original works inspired by its values: Inclusion, Reciprocity, Courage, Curiosity, Connection and Impact. Each painting invites you to choose the value that matters most and keep it visible; a reminder of how you want to show up, what you stand for and what you bring to your work and life.
The six originals will be available exclusively to delegates at the conference.
The conference brings together subject matter experts and industry leaders seeking to learn how to accelerate action change in their organisations.
Agenda & Speakers
Subject to change.
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Vivienne Artz OBE, CEO of the Women Business Leaders Review, will chair Making Sponsorship Work, examining how sponsorship can unlock leadership progression and board appointments.
This work is in collaboration with Professor Elena Doldor from Queen Mary University of London who will share insights from a new report which examines how leadership promotions work in practice and the role sponsorship plays in shaping who progresses.
The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with industry leaders including:
Sue Whalley, Chief People & Performance Officer from Associated British Foods.
Arun Batra OBE, Senior Director, Uber
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Kathryn Britten, Partner & Managing Director from AlixPartners, will share findings from the firm’s 2026 Disruption Index, drawing on insights from more than 3,000 global C-suite executives to explore Women Leaders in an AI Era and the distinctive perspectives women leaders bring to AI value creation.
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This session spotlights the ‘Conversations in Confidence’ series launched at the beginning of this year by Emma Woods, Chair of Ancient & Brave and NED of Great Portland Estates and Holly Addison, Founder of Balance the Board.
Together with some highlights from the series, Emma Woods will host a live discussion with two of our special guests from the series; Tamara Box, Business Leader, Chair & Non-Exec Director & founding member of 30% Club and Paula MacKenzie, CEO of Pizza Express, NED and Board Advisor
An honest conversation, practical insights and powerful lessons on confidence, resilience, and leadership.
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Our panel discusses building a fairer route to leadership and how we turn inclusion from good intentions into everyday leadership action.
The panel will explore sponsorship, the invisible rules of progression, equitable access to career-defining opportunities, and the role every leader can play in building a stronger, more diverse pipeline to the boardroom.
Panel:
Rachel Morris, Executive Coach & Partner, Motion Learning
Tove Okunniwa MBE, Group Partnerships Director, BBC
Aisling Kemp, Teampak Consulting/Newly Weds Foods, Founder & Strategic Advisor
Liz Dimmock, Founder & CEO, Moving Ahead
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Mariana Saraceni, Founder & Chief Happiness Enabler from The Happiness Consultancy will explore the courageous conversations we often avoid at work: asking for what we need, challenging decisions, giving feedback, saying no, admitting when we don’t know, and raising uncomfortable issues.
Meaningful career and leadership shifts don’t always come from another strategy or development plan. They often come from having the conversation we’ve been avoiding. Mariana will connect this directly to the importance of women not only having a seat at the decision-making table but feeling able to use their voices once they’re there: asking questions, challenging assumptions, disagreeing respectfully and speaking up when it matters.
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Exploring the vital role of active allyship in creating more inclusive workplaces, stronger leadership teams and sustainable change.
Panel
Ceri Moyers, Founder, Circle Partnership
Dr Poornima Luthra, Principal Lecturer in People, Culture & Inclusion, Imperial Business School
Ryan Davies, Business Development Manager, NatWest
Nick Singh, Leader and Allyship Advocate, IKEA (Ingka Group)
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Talent is everywhere. Opportunity isn’t. Our panel chaired by Joy Burnford, Founder, Encompass Equality, discusses how leaders and boards create the conditions for potential to become leadership. This panel explores: Seeing, Developing, Nurturing and Harnessing. Answering the ultimate question - who should get the opportunities, sponsorship and access that create tomorrow’s leaders?
Panel:
Melody Moore, Director, Liberare Consulting
Katherine White, People & Cultural Director, Wyboston Lakes
Annemarie Durbin, Board Chair, Yorkshire Building Society
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Jeannette Linfoot will bring together mentors and mentees from the inaugural Rise to Board programme to share the realities, breakthroughs, and challenges of building a board career.
An insight into Balance the Board’s partnership with Jeannette Linfoot and Brave Bold Brilliant’s Rise Academy. Bringing together mentors and mentees from the inaugural leadership development programme to share reflections and breakthroughs on the journey to board leadership.
Panel:
Professor Kerensa Jennings Chair/NED/Strategic Advisor and Katherine Russell, Independent Director
Sam Sherriff Chief People & Places Officer Allwyn Entertainment (Operator of The National Lottery) and Helen Evans-Morris, Lead Strategist Great State
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Going beyond the well-rehearsed debate about whether women and underrepresented founders are investable, this session will challenge whether the people, systems, and capital allocators around them have genuinely created accessible routes for them to grow.
The panel co-hosted by Ronan Dunne and Aine Kerr will explore what needs to change across the startup ecosystem: from access to networks, mentors, and early-stage capital, to investor expectations, funding pathways and the structures that determine who gets seen, backed and scaled.
Panel:
Rob Pierre Investor & Advisor (Co-founder and former CEO of Jellyfish)
Caroline Diehl MBE Founder & CEO of Social Founders
Isabel Knight Founder Fearless Female Investor
5 OCTOBER | LONDON
THE ‘ACCELERATE TOGETHER’ CONFERENCE
£95
Each ticket includes entry to the Conference and the Drinks Reception for one.
Why attend
We offer a range of services to meet the needs of every client. Have something else in mind? We'd be happy to work with you to create a custom quote.
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This dynamic, cross-sector gathering explores how equity, innovation and diverse thinking can shape the future of executive leadership.
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Through thought-provoking panels, inspiring keynotes, and interactive sessions, attendees will gain fresh insights, share real-world strategies, and build meaningful connections with those driving change across the UK.
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Brilliant chairs and panellists will highlight the progress that has been made, as well as introducing new perspectives and sharing learnings from different sectors.
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Our objective is to ignite your imagination and showcase the art of the possible in your organisation. You will walk away armed with practical tips and inspired by true change makers.
What past attendees say
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?
Mentoring has already proven to be successful as a means of breaking down barriers and supporting progression.
Balance the Board wanted to take a different approach to mentoring; to make it easy, flexible, and informal, while making a significant difference to people’s careers. They wanted to create more impact, increase the reach, and build a scalable platform that could evolve and endure.
Today, Balance the Board runs a number of mentoring programmes, hosts conferences, webinars and networking events, bringing together like-minded people and creating a network that will mentor and support the next generation of inclusive leaders.
We are back on Monday October 5th 2026 at Goodwin Proctor, 10 - 15 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7AZ
Last year was a sell out, don't miss out!
Each ticket includes entry for one person.
Join us to help shape the leadership landscape of tomorrow—one that reflects the world we live in, and leads with purpose, authenticity and impact.
If you are interesting in supporting the conference this year, please get in touch at info@balancetheboard.co.uk.
Registration from: 1:30pm Conference agenda: 2pm-6pm, followed by a lively networking drinks reception from 6-8pm
Each ticket includes entry for one person.