End of Year message from our Chair
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As our 30th Anniversary draws to a close, Julie Goldstein, IWF UK Chair, looks back over an exceptional year and ahead to the year in which we will welcome outstanding women leaders from around the world to the IWF Cornerstone Conference in London.
In her end of year message to members, Julie today recalls the many highlights of our special anniversary year and points to what is ahead in an exciting 2020.
She says that we have welcomed over 30 new members during the year and extended the diversity of our membership across sectors. We conducted a Members’ Survey, which produced excellent and helpful feedback to guide the direction of the organisation, and we highlighted the many ways in which IWF UK advances women’s leadership.
We celebrated our 30th Anniversary with a wonderful dinner at the Caledonian Club during the summer and a Mentoring Walk in the autumn for members to share their advice and experience with younger women navigating their future career paths.
Our Spring and Autumn Receptions were lively gatherings that appealed to members and guests alike and offered an opportunity to showcase the important work of the global Leadership Foundation and IWF Fellows Programme and to open up a broader discussion about Diversity – what it means to each of us and how we can take the agenda forward.
In November we were inspired by the words of Baroness Hale, who gave the 30th Anniversary Jean Denton lecture and shared highlights of her personal journey to and with the Supreme Court. We rounded off the year with a terrific panel discussion on Impact Investing led by Dame Elizabeth Corley and our famous Christmas Breakfast held at Fortnum & Mason (see photos).
IWF UK has also strengthened its links with the wider IWF community, taking advantage of our connections with other forums and access to the broader international network. IWF UK members attended the IWF Global Conferences held in Barcelona in April and Toronto in November, which offered cutting edge content, inspiration and stimulating debates.
Expressing warmest thanks to members, committee members, and the Board for their enthusiastic commitment and hard work throughout the year, Julie concludes:
‘We are looking forward to an exciting 2020, continuing to deliver a dynamic and inspiring programme of UK events and enriching our forum with the growing diversity of our membership and, especially, hosting the IWF Cornerstone Conference in May when we welcome 750 women leaders, guests and sponsors to London.’
