Courageous Women Leaders! #IWD

Courageous Leaders Event 2019 was a success through the combined effort of an incredible group of volunteers, a stellar line up of speakers and the generosity of our delegates! We raised ￡109,010 to support 130 girls in Zimbabwe to continue their education. Motivated to make a difference in the world is a powerful way to bring to people together and we made magic on 06 March!

Our theme about courage resonated with our 128 delegates of CEOs, executive, lawyers and aspiring execs. By the end of the day our delegates left inspired, with valuable insights and comforted that they had contributed to changing the lives of underprivileged girls. Courage is a human virtue and we all have it in us. Our delegates enjoyed our incredible content and networking with a diverse range of women.

Adrienne Gibson’s story was a huge inspiration and one of bravery, our audience were intrigued and mesmerized by her story. Adrienne encouraged us to celebrate uniqueness. Being unique is important and is what makes us stand out from the crowd. Adrienne set the tone for the day!

Tracey Gray introduced us the concept of Above the Line Leadership. Tracey invited the leaders in the room to be more conscious and aware of their position and rank (a defined term based on work by Amy Mindell). If operating from a high ranking position do so in a way that is connected, accountable and demonstrates courage and humility. Tracey gave us examples from her humble beginnings to her glittering corporate career illustrating the different traits of high and low rank. Our delegates fell in love with Tracey, she is a “legend”!! Several delegates told me in the coffee break!

Matt Crabtree talked about the importance of building a network, understanding the importance of relationship and warned us about the patterns of behaviour that destroy your brand and your chances of ascension to the C-suite and promotion.

Alex Lazarus took us on a deep exploration of human traits and insights into our characteristics that can hold us back. The highlight was making our 128 guests stand up to sign to Sia “Unstoppable”. The energy in the auditorium lifted palpably! Alex looked us “if you don’t take a step outside your comfort zone how can you be brave and learn to lead?”

Our Panels included women entrepreneurs leaving corporate life behind and taking the brave step of setting up an award winning business, balancing having children whilst pitching for the best work! Our last panel: "If I could tell you one thing!" Words of wisdom from brave and courageous women: "Ask for help", "You can learn to love change", "Always be open to opportunity" and "Speak your truth."

Testimonials: "What a truly heart warming and impactful event. Very inspiring and beautifully executed. I thought the choice of speakers and the amount of interaction and breakout sessions and breaks was perfectly timed."

"Thank you for an incredible event yesterday – an inspiring concept combined with the opportunity to raise some funds for Plan International’s ongoing excellent work.

I know the organisation of this won’t have been easy but you made it look stress-free, and made all of us feel at ease and welcomed and the quality of the speakers was staggering – I left with ideas I want to work on immediately and thoughts that I know will keep resonating for months and years to come. The opportunity to spend time with peers and new friends was also great benefit."

"Thank you so much! The event was inspiriting but moreover, incredibly empowering. Nilema managed to bring together so many different women, different stories and different experiences and under the umbrella of 'courageous leaders' created such an intimate and comfortable atmosphere of and for sharing. I found it incredibly relatable, encouraging and motivating - this might have been a life-changing moment for myself. And all this to help young women, girls to get their basic rights to education. Please say thank you to Nilema form me, congratulations to all of you and I hope I can get involved and help next time." 'Be kind and have courage'

""I really enjoyed the Courageous Leaders event on Wednesday, it was a very insightful and inspirational day. It was so great to see so many powerful women on stage and in the room and to learn so much about myself in a day! I would strongly recommend this event to other women across varying industries and levels."