A #WECAN guide to International Women’s Day…

March marks International Women’s Month with a designated day March 8th dedicated to celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Whilst it is a celebratory day, it also allows us to highlight the work that still needs to be done to accelerate women’s equality.

This year the day aims to Inspire Inclusion to forge a more inclusive world for women, and with an exciting programme of events taking place across the region we thought we’d bring you a round up of what’s coming up…

Thursday 29th February

Ok so technically not March (please forgive us) but an extra day thanks to the leap year sounds like a great excuse for us to come together… ?

Lean in Leeds : Breakfast Club

Deloitte LLP, Leeds, 8:30am – 10am

Lean in Leeds are back for their monthly breakfast club with networking, practical support, and stories from female entrepreneurs.

Their February guest is Deborah Ogden, an internationally respected speaker on personal branding and impact. Deborah will be sharing practical tips on how to clarify your personal brand as your true self, building profile as a visible expert without feeling “icky”. Alongside an amplified profile and reputation, be prepared for more confidence and impact!

This event is currently sold out but you can join the waiting list here.

No More Talking – The Lifted Ventures Launch Event

Shine Collective, Harehills, Leeds, 11:15 – 2:30pm

The ‘No more Talking - Putting business first means backing female founders’ Lifted Ventures launch event sets out to drive forward the changing rhetoric from funding gaps, to greater business and economic returns.

Despite receiving less than half of the investment capital of their male peers, female-founded companies?deliver twice as much revenue per pound invested.

To date we have seen many investment pathways which have remained the same for 25 years, since the emergence of first silicon valley VC's, and the model urgently needs updating to reflect the communities we need to serve, driving the imbalance of capital into female founders.

By supporting these diverse groups with the right pathways to land investment, we will ignite the power of the community as this is the only way to accelerate change, especially in economic headwinds.

This event will drive this agenda, as catalyst from talking to action.

The Lifted Ventures Launch event is aimed at Investment Managers and Directors, Angel Investors, leading players and investment and ecosystem stakeholders who are passionate about operating in the female founder space and making a lasting change.

Find out more and book your free place here.

Wednesday 6th March

‘The Right Fit: Why inclusive PPE Matters’

Addleshaw Goddard LLP, Leeds, 9am - 11am

Ill-fitting personal protective equipment (PPE) for women has been an issue in the construction industry for decades. National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Yorkshire recently found that 59.6% of employers do not provide women’s specific PPE, and with the number of women in the industry increasing every year, it’s a problem that we need to solve urgently.

For decades, women have had to suffer through the negative effects of wearing ill-fitting unisex PPE. It is not just uncomfortable, it is DANGEROUS.

Join Leeds Beckett School of Built Environment Engineering and Computing and the NAWIC Yorkshire Campaign Manager, Katy Robinson, as they talk about the barriers to receiving women-specific PPE, the effects of ill-fitting PPE, and what we can all do to become more inclusive employers and better protect our female workforce.

Thursday 7th March

She Can Shine Celebrate International Women's Day

Shine Collective, Harehills, Leeds, 10am – 1:30pm

Co-host Paula Grizzard from She Business says “If you want an event that chews over key topics important to women, want friendly networking where we introduce you to like-minded female founders (we have all experienced the dread of going into a room cold!) then celebrate in style at Shine.”

Be inspired by fellow entrepreneurs and learn about women’s health with speakers including :

·?Maddie Julian, CEO and Co-Founder of DigiBete, a multi award winning digital platform and app supporting better self-management of Type 1 Diabetes

·?Bushra Effendi, Advanced Pharmacist with Special Interest in the Menopause

·?Amy Lochtie, Innovation Hub Director for West Yorkshire

·?Linda Broughton, Co-Founder of Contribly , a tech start up that helps news publishers engage and build trust with their readers

Find out more and book your free place here.

International Women’s Day : Will Robots Take My Job?

Bruntwood Sci Tech at Platform, Leeds, 12pm – 2pm

#WECAN are excited to be collaborating with Bruntwood Sci Tech for this event where we ask “How can AI provide opportunities to enable career changes and inspire a new generation of founders?”

We’ll be joined by experts who are founders, academia or have swapped careers to discuss their experiences with AI as we delve into its inclusivity and bias, as well as the impact its having on business today. We’ll also be exploring what career paths of the future could look like, as AI paves the way for a new wave of founders and offering alternative routes to innovate.

If you are curious to find out more minus the tech jargon then this event is for you. Open to all – including allies.

Find out more and book your free place here.

Friday 8th March

CoreCom : Inspiring Inclusion

Sedulo, Leeds, 11am – 2pm

CoreCom Consulting is the UK’s leading IT recruitment company. Join them for a transformative event exploring women’s inclusion in the workplace.

Inclusion is essential to gender equality, however, women are still under-represented at leadership and decision making level in the tech sector and beyond. Hear from exceptional speakers as they explore :

·Intersectionality and the role it plays in effectively developing inclusive workplaces

·The language of inclusion and how marginalised groups are affected using ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ language

·How workplaces can design infrastructure that supports and includes women at work

·Examples of positive action taken towards promoting inclusion in workplaces (and in tech) and the results of those actions

·The role of men and allies in creating truly inclusive workspaces

You’ll leave equipped to champion inclusive change within your organisation and foster a vibrant environment where every woman can realise their potential.

Find out more and register your interest here.

Yorkshire Business Woman Awards

Leeds Marriot Hotel, Leeds, 6:15pm onwards

Whilst this event is sold out we couldn’t not mention the very first Yorkshire Business Woman Awards! Hosted by Yorkshire Business Woman magazine, the celebration evening will honour the amazing women in Yorkshire with awards such as Networker of the Year, Rising Star, and New Business up for grabs.

We’re especially excited to see so many women and organisations from our #WECAN community nominated. Good luck everyone ??

This event is sold out but you can find out more about YBW here.

We’re aware we won’t have captured every event here but hopefully these are the most relevant for you, our #WECAN community! If you would like to add any, please comment below. Let us know which you attend, we can’t wait to hear all about it…

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