Wo+Men’s Leadership Conference 2026: Inclusive leadership in the age of AI
10 Oct 2026
09:00 -19:00
Times shown in local time
Open to: All
Cambridge Judge Business School
Trumpington St
Cambridge
CB2 1AG
United Kingdom
Join us for our annual Wo+Men’s Leadership Conference, an exciting day of keynote speakers, panel discussions and networking.
Throughout the day, there’ll be opportunities to network and connect with delegates, outstanding leaders and Cambridge Judge academics. The day will conclude with an early evening drinks reception.
Agenda
08:30-09:00
Registration and welcome refreshments
Lobby
09:00-09:20
Conference opening and welcome
Lecture Theatre 1
Speakers
- Professor Feryal Erhun, Professor of Operations and Technology Management & Academic Director, Wo+Men’s Leadership Centre, Cambridge Judge Business School
- Tracey Horn, Executive Director, Wo+Men’s Leadership Centre, Director, Corporate Communications and Marketing, Cambridge Judge Business School
09:30-10:30
Keynote speech
Lecture Theatre 1
- Dame Menna Rawlings DCMG CVO, President, Queens’ College, University of Cambridge
10:30-11:30
Panel 1: Artificial Intelligence
Lecture Theatre 1
This session will explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping power, work and leadership, and what it means for women to move from representation to real influence over AI systems. Drawing on research and practice, the panel will discuss how technology design, governance and organisational choices can either entrench or transform existing gender dynamics, and what kinds of leadership are needed to ensure women are architects of AI, not afterthoughts in it.
Panellists
- Dr Stella Pachidi, Senior Lecturer in Technology and Work, Department of Public Services Management and Organisation, King’s Business School, King’s College London
- Professor Alexandra Brintrup, Professor of Digital Manufacturing, Institute for Manufacturing (IfM), University of Cambridge
- Curlene Simone Larsson, Head of Enterprise AI for EMEA, Lenovo and Former Chair of the Cambridge Judge Alumni Council
- Maria Minaricova, Director of Business Development, Fetch.ai
Moderator
- Professor Feryal Erhun, Professor of Operations and Technology Management & Academic Director, Wo+Men’s Leadership Centre, Cambridge Judge Business School
11:30-11:55
Refreshments and networking
Lobby
12:00-12:30
Keynote speech
Lecture Theatre 1
- Pinky Lilani CBE DL, Founder & Chair, Women of the Future Programme
12:30-13:25
Networking lunch
13:30-14:30
Panel 2: Allyship
Lecture Theatre 1
This session will explore the importance of allyship and how allyship can help ensure inclusive leadership in the age of AI.
Panellists
- Lee Chambers, CEO, Male Allies UK
- Daniella Decker, Executive Director, Entertainment Software Association, Accessible Games Initiative
Moderator
- Professor Simon Taylor, Management Practice Professor of Finance, Cambridge Judge Business School
14:30-15:30
A thinking environment workshop
Lecture Theatre 1
- Victoria Higgins, Founder, Beyond the Noise
In a world where we are increasingly outsourcing our thinking to technology, our uniquely human ability to think for ourselves has never mattered more. Whether at home, in school or at work, “the quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking we do first” (Nancy Kline).
In this workshop, Victoria will share the very personal story of why she left a 30-year leadership career at GSK to found Beyond The Noise. Today she works with individuals, leadership teams and organisations to harness the thinking they already have. She will invite us to experience what it takes to think independently in the company of others, and to discover how a few simple changes to the way we interact can transform the quality of our thinking, our relationships, and the way we live “this one wild and precious life” (Mary Oliver).
15:30-15:45
Refreshments
Lobby
15:45-16:30
In conversation
Lecture Theatre 1
Speakers
- Jane Hamilton, The Times Appointments Editor, News UK
- Julie Zhou, Columnist, Financial Times
16:30-17:15
Closing comments
Lecture Theatre 1
- Tracey Horn, Executive Director, Wo+Men’s Leadership Centre, Director, Corporate Communications & Marketing, Cambridge Judge Business School
17:15-18:15
Networking drinks reception
Lobby
Speakers and panellists
Dame Menna Rawlings DCMG CVO
President, Queens’ College, Cambridge
Feryal Erhun
Academic Director, Wo+Men’s Leadership Centre
Professor of Operations and Technology Management
Feryal’s research interests include strategic interactions between stakeholders in supply chains and socially responsible operations. She’s a strong proponent of practice-based research and through collaborations with Intel Corporation, Stanford University Medical Center and others, she has combined her academic interests with firms’ needs to deliver insights for both communities.
Feryal is a member of the Operations and Technology Management subject group at Cambridge Judge Business School, which focuses on practice-based research through partner organisations to address a wide spectrum of management challenges.
Stella Pachidi
Senior Lecturer in Technology and Work, Department of Public Services Management and Organisation, King’s Business School, King’s College London
Alexandra Brintrup
Professor of Digital Manufacturing, Institute for Manufacturing (IfM), University of Cambridge
Lee Chambers
CEO, Male Allies UK
Simon Taylor
Management Practice Professor of Finance
Jane Hamilton
The Times Appointments Editor, News UK
Pinky Lilani CBE DL
Founder and Chair, Women of The Future
Tracey Horn
Executive Director, Wo+Men’s Leadership Centre
Director, Corporate Communications and Marketing, Cambridge Judge Business School
Tracey is passionate about improving gender diversity, through dialogue and action, and is a founding member of Cambridge Judge Business School’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee.
Tracey is a member of the senior leadership team, with responsibility for overseeing externally facing communications and corporate marketing. She is also a member of the European Foundation for Management Steering Committee and a mentor to students at her alma mater, the University of St. Andrews. Tracey’s background is in outreach, engagement, and PR.
Curlene Simone Larsson
Head of Enterprise AI for EMEA, Lenovo
Former Chair of the Cambridge Judge Alumni Council
Maria Minaricova
Director of Business Development, Fetch.ai
Board Member, The Fetch.ai Foundation
Maria Minaricova is a Director of Business Development at Fetch.ai and a Board Member of the Fetch.ai Foundation. Her passion lies in forging strategic partnerships that drive innovation, whether with industry leaders, startups or academia, to unlock the full potential of AI , agents and decentralised technologies. Maria believes in the power of collaboration and cutting-edge solutions to transform the way we live and work. From mobility and energy to supply chains and decentralised finance, she focuses on bringing AI-driven agent automation and intelligence into real-world applications, making systems more efficient, adaptive and autonomous. Maria is passionate about supporting diversity and inclusion in technology and beyond.
Daniella Decker
Executive Director, Entertainment Software Association, Accessible Games Initiative
Victoria Higgins
Founder, Beyond the Noise
