Later this month, the Women Leaders’ Awards will bring people together from across Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire to celebrate achievement, leadership and impact. But for me, the significance of this year’s event goes far beyond one evening in the calendar.
Yes, the awards are a moment to recognise exceptional women. They are a chance to pause and acknowledge courage, innovation, resilience and contribution. But they are also about something much bigger for our region: visibility, confidence and the kind of leadership culture we want to build for the future.
This year feels especially important because, for the first time, Women Leaders has expanded across the region, reflecting the reality of how people now live, work and lead. Careers do not sit neatly within one town or one county. Businesses recruit across wider geographies, partnerships increasingly cross borders, and professional influence travels well beyond a single postcode.
That is why we are so looking forward to seeing a wider cross-section of businesses from across the MK postcode area and the surrounding counties in the room later this month.
This expansion also connects to a much bigger economic story. As the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor continues to gather pace, our region has a major opportunity ahead of it. But growth on that scale cannot only be measured in infrastructure, investment and innovation. It must also be measured in who gets the opportunity to lead, who is visible, and who is supported to progress.
And that is where the challenge remains.
There has rightly been much celebration around the rise of women on boards in FTSE companies. That progress matters. But beneath it sits a stubborn gap, with too few women progressing into C-suite roles and too many encountering barriers earlier in the leadership pipeline. At the same time, many women leaders are operating in a climate of real exhaustion and burnout, often balancing heavy workloads, unequal expectations and the pressure to over-perform simply to be recognised.
Alongside that, there is a growing sense in some organisations of diversity fatigue – the idea that because progress has been made, the work is somehow complete. It is not.
The question for business now is no longer whether gender balance matters, but how it is embedded into workplace culture, succession planning, flexibility and progression. If we want to strengthen the pipeline, we need to look beyond recruitment and ask harder questions about retention and growth. Where are women getting stuck? What is causing talented people to step back? Is workload sustainable? Are managers creating the right conditions for progression? Are women being given the visibility and sponsorship that help leadership potential turn into leadership reality?
These are not side issues. They go to the heart of business resilience, talent retention and long-term regional success.
That is why Women Leaders continues to matter. Recognition is not just symbolic. It helps make leadership visible. It broadens the picture of who leadership is for. It builds confidence, creates momentum and helps organisations think differently about the talent already in front of them.
This year’s awards would not be possible without the support of a strong community of sponsors and partners. We are especially grateful to our headline sponsor, Hillier Hopkins, alongside Aiimi, MK College Group, The Open University, Shoosmiths, Motor Insurers Bureau and Vinkez Consulting, as well as the many other businesses and community organisations supporting Women Leaders this year.
Their backing reflects a shared belief that visibility, recognition and opportunity matter. And as we look ahead to later this month, the opportunity is not only to celebrate remarkable women, but to bring businesses, educators, community leaders and partners into the same room for a conversation that still matters very much.
The Women Leaders’ Awards take place on Thursday, July 16 at the DoubleTree by Hilton at Stadium MK.
For more information about Women Leaders UK, visit our website.
This year’s Women Leaders’ Awards finalists
Music, Arts and The Creative Industries
- Bhavika Garg
- Jacky Scott
- Rina Singh
Uniformed and Public Services
- Gillian Ormston
- Emily Darlington
- Johanna ‘JJ’ Hrycak
Healthcare
- Helen Eaton
- Lindsay McInnis
- Claire Black
Sports, Leisure and Retail
- Clair Roberts
- Mel Wyley
- Samantha Webb
Engineering, Science and Maths
- Emma Kent
- Ifigenia Balkoura
- Prof. Rachel Hilliam
Digital and Technology
- Toria Walters
- Wendy Boreham
- Divya Saleela
Skills, Education and Training
- Prof. Rachel Hilliam
- Prof. Ruth Massie
- Bex Howe
- Irem Syed
Manufacturing and Construction
- Emma Kent
- Lauren Holland
- Liana Sinclair
Community Impact (Employed)
- Bhavika Garg
- Di Cook
- Michelle Shaw
Community Impact (Volunteer)
- Jacqui Webber
- Maria Affa
- Kimmi – Mental Health Cleaning
Professional Services
- Dr. Sheun Oke
- Emma Crawford
- Michelle Nichols
Entrepreneur
- Lindsay McInnis
- Anjana Jain
- Natalie Webster
Emerging Leader
- Ifigenia Balkoura
- Kylie Anderson
- Leigh Aulsberry
#NoneOfTheAbove
- Marisa Lloyd
- Jennifer Walker
- Emma Stone
