By Rebecca Hopwood
In the lead up to International Women’s Day, I had the pleasure of attending the first #WECAN conference in Leeds. The event was a true eyeopener, empowering and provided a fantastic opportunity to meet other like minded women in business.
A chance to attend the first #WECAN conference in Leeds.
The #WECAN (Women Empowered through Coaching And Networking) programme is a European social funded project led by Leeds Beckett University. The three year project aims to enhance the resilience and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by building the leadership skills, capabilities and opportunities of women in the Leeds City Region. In March 2022, they held their first ever conference and invited members from across the region to attend a number of talks, networking and ‘ConverStations’.
It was fantastic to see a number of men in the room as well as women as it’s vital that men are also part of these conversations and are aware of how empowering females in the workplace can have a wider, positive impact.
The line-up
The fantastic Nicky Chance-Thompson DL took to the stage to welcome the guests and run through the agenda for the day. Nicky is the CEO and Trustee of The Piece Hall in Halifax and is passionate about ‘giving back’ to the local community. Nicky won Yorkshire Businesswoman of the Year in 2019 and is on the Northern Power Women’s Power List. She also holds several non-executive voluntary roles in which she is a director including: Northern Broadsides, Halifax Business Improvement District and The Halifax Culture Hub.
In other volunteer capacities Nicky works closely with women who are trying to rebuild their lives after addiction and supporting the homeless.
First on stage, Nicky welcomed Zandra Moore CEO and co-founder of Panintelligence. Zandra spoke of her female role models and how she started to #BreakTheBias as a woman in tech. Zandra formed Lean in Leeds, a network of over 900 women. Zandra broke down barriers and overcame some of the traits in her introvert nature to become a more confident woman in business.
Dr Martina Tropic followed Zandra to the podium and spoke directly of the positive impact the #WECAN project it’s having on people and in their career. Martina outlined her latest findings from research and inspired the audience with insight from her well-loved book club.
Next up, Nicky introduced Sophie Cliff – the Joyful Coach. Sophie spoke of the importance of ‘finding cheerleaders’ and forming a strong allegiance with women and people who can support you on your journey. Sophie raised interesting points about the power of positive thinking and how an optimistic outlook can help to make a more resilient leader.
Welcome, the Mayor of West Yorkshire.
After a short break for lunch (a fantastic selection of hot and cold food!), delegates were invited back to their seats to hear from Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire. Tracy was elected as the first Mayor of West Yorkshire, and the first ever woman Metro Mayor in 2021. Tracy is on a mission to create 1,000 skilled jobs for young people, has made misogyny a hate crime and says ‘if you want to see change, you need to make the change.’
Tracy leads from the front and delivered a powerful and passionate speech encouraging more women and women of colour to pursue their career in politics.
A ConverStation with the experts
As the formal part of the conference came to a close, delegates could choose between a number of ‘ConverStations’ to speak to other members in a round table format. The topics covered were:
- How to promote yourself with confidence on LinkedIn with Judy Parsons, the LinkedIn Lady
- Why buy social, with Ali Ward from SEYH (Social Enterprise Yorkshire and Humber)
- How much do you value your wellbeing? With Karen Trem from #WECAN, Leeds Beckett University
- Feeling empowered to overcome imposter syndrome with Kim Sanderson from #WECAN, Leeds Beckett University
- What story do you want to tell as a leader? With David Taylor from #WECAN
- Developing confidence and managing stage freight with Emma Heron and Kenny Greenough from #WECAN, Edge Hill University
- Enabling powering conversations with Amy Samouelle, #WECAN Leeds Beckett University
- Leading a developing business with Louise O’Brien, Managing Director of Greyhound Box Ltd
- Social media management and digital visibility tips with the #WECAN team
For up to 20 minutes, you could engage in an interactive conversation with the topic leader and other delegates. As people in the room are all now feeling empowered – everyone gets a chance to speak and discuss their challenges in a safe space.
The #WECAN programme presents fantastic opportunities for women in a number of roles and different organisations. In addition to inspiring discussions, attendees also took part in hands-on marketing workshops that encouraged women to build confidence in promoting their work and businesses. If you would like to learn more about the project and how you can get involved, visit - https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/leeds-business-school/wecan/
