Women in the City, introduced by the Lady Mayor Dame Susan Langley

Ticket sales for this event are now closed. For last minute tickets or any other any enquiries about this event please contact Katy Tytler: katy@ironmongers.org.

The Ironmongers’ Company prides itself on fellowship, tradition and giving: values that resonate strongly in the modern City of London. Yet, for many women, the world of livery companies remains mysterious, steeped in history and governance structures that can feel intimidating or irrelevant.

That’s why we’re hosting an evening of talks and a drinks reception, focused on Women in the City and introduced by the Lady Mayor Dame Susan Langley, the third woman to hold the office and the first to take the title 'Lady', rather than 'Lord' Mayor. This event, which is open to all, will demystify what livery company membership and participation in civic life mean today, featuring inspirational speakers who will share their experiences.

• Kate Hughes, the first female member of the Ironmongers’ Court, and soon to be first female Master, ex-solicitor and now meditation teacher and coach. Kate will talk about her experiences first as a liveryman then as a court member. She'll discuss how navigating a man’s world is not always easy but how we can make the journey a smooth and more integrated one for future generations. Kate will share how we can strengthen our inner resources to lead and succeed with compassion and integrity.
• Dawn Wright, Common Councillor, Court Liveryman of the Information Technologists, Liveryman of the Salters and technology leader. Dawn will talk about her livery journey: from her first involvement as a freeman of the Information Technologists' Company to her role as a Common Councillor today.
• Deborah Oliver TD, Common Councillor, Past Master of the Company of Communicators, Liveryman of Ironmongers, past Colonel in the Army Reserves, Board Member City Bridge Foundation and of the City of London Police Board. Deborah will talk about her experience as a past Master of a Livery Company, and of experience living and working in the City.

Whether you’re curious about joining a livery company, want to understand what participation entails, or are simply looking for a space to connect with other ambitious women in the City, this event is for you. Come and hear how women are shaping the future of these historic institutions, and why membership could be a rewarding next step in your professional life.

Speaker biographies

Kate Hughes is the first woman to join the court of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers and hopes to be the first female Master. Kate joined the Company in 2008, a couple of years after women were once again admitted to join. Ten years later she was Warden of the Livery & Yeomanry and became a Court Deputy in 2021 and full court member in 2023. An active committee member and Director of the Ironmongers Trust Company, Kate embraced livery life when women were in the minority.

Kate’s background is the legal sector, where she gained over two decades of litigation and management experience. Like many in the profession, Kate once believed that pressure and exhaustion were simply part of the job, until a stress-related illness forced her to re-evaluate. What she discovered was a lack of internal resources: not intelligence or work ethic, and that building these necessary internal resources was a priority.

Kate retrained and gained qualifications to teach meditation, mindfulness, breathwork and to coach others who feel stuck, unfulfilled, or close to burnout to think differently, find clarity and create meaningful change.

Kate set up her own wellbeing business in 2019 and combines her lived experience of the legal world with her wellbeing and coaching training to help lawyers and other high performing professionals build clarity, confidence and resilience.

Outside work Kate enjoys open water swimming, roller skating and writing fiction.

Dawn Wright is a senior civic leader and technology executive with over three decades of experience in global telecommunications, cybersecurity and digital governance. She has represented the Ward of Coleman Street on the City of London’s Court of Common Council since 2019, serving as its elected Deputy and championing safe, secure and prosperous environments for residents and businesses.

Dawn chairs the national Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting and Analysis Service Procurement Committee, which delivered the UK’s new £175m Report Fraud system in partnership with the City of London Police, the Home Office and HM Treasury.

She also serves as Deputy Chair of the Digital Services Committee and sits on the Police Authority Board, the Economic Security and Cyber Crime Committee, and several cultural and climate-focused bodies. Dawn is currently the Deputy Governor of the Honourable the Irish society, she also sits on the Income generating working party for the corporation of London.

Alongside her civic work, Dawn has held senior leadership roles across the technology sector, including 13 years as Regional Director at AT&T and co-founding and exiting two successful technology companies, most recently Brigantia Partners Ltd, a multi-award-winning cybersecurity distributor.

Deeply committed to education and inclusion, Dawn spent nine years on the Main Board of the Harris Federation and previously chaired governors at Harris Academy Bermondsey.

She is a Court Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, a Liveryman of the Salters’ Company, and a member of the Salters’ Institute Board.

Deborah Oliver is a Common Councillor in the City of London and a Deputy for Ironmonger’s Ward of Aldersgate.

She has been a member of the City of London Police Board since 2018 and chairs the Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Committee.

Deborah is also a Board Member of the City Bridge Foundation which maintains 5 Thames Bridges (including the Millennium Bridge and Tower Bridge) and grants £30million per annum as London’s biggest independent charity funder.
As a past Colonel in the reserve forces, she is an executive member of the City of London Reserve Forces and Cadets Association which gives grants to cadets and reservists.

As well as being a Liveryman of Ironmongers, she is a Founder member and Past Master of the Company of Communicators. She is also a member of the Guild of Freemen.

Deborah is also a Nominating Council member for the Women of the Year.