International Women’s Day 2024
Fri 8 Mar 2024 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Riverside Innovation Centre, Wheeler Building, University of Chester, CH1 1SL
Description
With a focus on the IWD 2024 theme of 'Inspire Inclusion', the 2024 University of Chester Diversity Festival and IGS International Women’s Day 2024 reflects on Women and ageing.
“When we inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there's a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment. The #InspireInclusion campaign aims to forge a more inclusive world for women.”
Building on the successes of our previous IWD events, this year we are delighted to welcome Helen Tomlinson, the UK Government's first-ever Menopause Champion. Joining us live for an online discussion with the University’s Vice Chancellor Professor Eunice Simmons, Helen will discuss her career journey and life lessons learnt along the way as well as the changes she has made in the Government adviser role and would like to continue making.
Following this, the University of Chester’s Helen Webster will discuss the connection between the perimenopause and ADHD traits. Helen will cover the impact on functioning in day to day life as well as her own journey of discovery and management. This section includes input from Emma Weaver, Deputy CEO of the ADHD Foundation. The ADHD Foundation is the UK’s leading neurodiversity charity, supporting the 1 in 5 who live with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, DCD, Dyscalculia, OCD, Tourette’s Syndrome and more.
Una Cottrell, founder of 45 Not Out, will then lead a panel of mid-life women who have experienced ageism in some form during their normal day to day lives to discuss how they overcame it. 45 Not Out is a community, spread over several online platforms, of like-minded, midlife and older women who are still serious about their life, career and everything else.
This in-person event will include plenty of time for breaks, networking and discussion.
Programme
| Time | Speaker | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 09:45am-10:00am | Professor Emma Rees | Director of the Institute of Gender Studies Professor Emma Rees will welcome all delegates to the event. Emma will speak about inspiring inclusion, the purpose of IWD and the aim of this event. |
| 10.00am-10.30am | Helen Tomlinson and Prof Eunice Simmons | Helen Tomlinson is the UK Government's first-ever Menopause Champion. Working alongside the Department for Work and Pensions, Helen helps employers develop policies that empower women experiencing menopause to stay and progress in work. Applying the principles of Education & Allyship creating Cultural Change, Helen has built a clearly defined sector-based strategy to support women across all aspects of intersectionality throughout their career from a women’s health perspective. Advocating for gender equity is the common thread throughout Helen’s 30-year career in the recruitment and employability sectors. In addition to her voluntary Menopause Champion role, Helen is Head of Talent & Inclusion (UK and Ireland) for the Adecco Group, the global leader in HR solutions. Her pioneering podcast on menopause and work inspired the Adecco Group to design and implement one of the UK’s first corporate menopause policies. Since then, Helen has supported companies of all sizes to create supportive environments, encourage open conversations, and help women thrive at work through menopause and beyond. With three decades of experience across commercial management, sales, and strategic HR planning, Helen helps organisations realise the business benefits of an enlightened approach – and drives positive, pragmatic change for employers and their people. |
| 10.45am-11.15am | Helen Webster | Helen Webster is the University’s Information Point Coordinator in Careers and Employability. In 2020 Helen delivered a TEDx talk entitled Living Life Across a Hidden Spectrum. Helen is open about her own neurodiversity journey sharing her story to support and inspire others. |
| 11.30am-12.30pm | Una Cottrell and panel | Una Cottrell is the founder of 45 Not Out, a community of like-minded, midlife and older women who are still serious about their life, career and everything else. It is a community that is spread over several online platforms. Una started the platforms following the ageism and prejudice she experienced when she started a new business at the age of 50. Una states: “For years, I had to choke back my annoyance until I got myself established enough to be able to call it out. The first platform for calling out this injustice was the 45 Not Out Podcast. Starting the podcast made me realise just how widespread ageism in the workplace was.” Una’s vision for the brand is to grow it to be a viable business in its own right and to be sizable enough where the views of members are listened to and we are able to influence decision-making and policies that affect women in mid and later life. |
| 12.30pm-1.00pm | Plenary discussion | Chaired by Professor Emma Rees |
Location
Riverside Innovation Centre, Wheeler Building, University of Chester, CH1 1SL