Women on Boards CIC®

✨ Yesterday was a #WOBCIC milestone celebration ✨ Founders Sandra Wiggins & Payal Walker were proud to celebrate their first Anniversary Lunch with their esteemed Board and Partners, all of whom have been instrumental to our first years success. It was an honour to be hosted by the fabulous Atul Kochhar at his exquisite restaurant Kanishka, in Mayfair. The food, the service and atmosphere was everything we expected and hoped for…and more! Atul, your team looked after us so well and championed the excellent standards you are renowned for. Thank you doesn’t seem enough, and to have you supporting the WOBCIC mission is incredible and very appreciated 🙏🏽 Thank you Abby Ghafoor for the introduction 💛 For the first time since our launch at UK House of Lords in March our esteemed Board came together in person. We routinely meet for our Board meetings, but are online due to our Board members’ varying geographical locations across the UK. This event was more than an anniversary celebration. It was an afternoon filled with laughter, meaningful conversations, and interactions that were all priceless. The lunch further formed stronger bonds reinforcing the incredible relationships that drive our mission forward Abby Ghafoor, Tobias Gould, Eileen Perry (Richards) MBE DL, Jeremy Zwiegelaar, PhD, Ashreen Seethal 💫 We missed you Jen Fensome, Alexandra Winward and Nurjahan Khatun 💛 We were so happy to be joined by our Key Support Partner Poonam Sharma, Barclays Eagle Labs and were sorry for the absence of our Collaborative Partner Tabitha Morton, UN Women UK. You were very much missed 🙏🏽 Thank you Baroness Sandy Verma for also joining us. Your presence meant so much more after knowing your days’ schedule. We value your commitment to the WOBCIC mission and your excellent Chairing of our Think Tank held at Barclays, Canary Wharf. The energy in the room was powerful, the evolving ideas were bold, and the commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs and driving systemic change has never been stronger. When you surround yourself with like-minded individuals who champion the mission and ethos, the magic naturally happens. And this was certainly the case yesterday. 2025 is more focussed, stronger and set to be one to watch for our work and impact – and we can’t wait to share further news with you all soon 💫 #anniversary #milestone #celebration

“It’s not good enough to stand still” Baroness Sandy Verma WOB CIC Founders attended the ‘Breaking Barriers to Trade 2024’ event yesterday at the UK House of Lords , kindly invited by our Think Tank Chair Baroness Sandy Verma. The event began with a powerful opening address from Baroness Verma, highlighting and reinforcing the reasons we were there and why the ‘dial still needs nudging’. The event was excellently hosted by Christina Brooks, Founder & CEO Ruebik and welcomed key notes from Juliet Gouldman, Romina Gingasu - Romina Gingasu Group and Aekta Mahajan Patel. The first panel, moderated by Aaliyah Sekatawa welcomed Maxine Nwaneri, Joe Seddon - Zero Gravity, Lindsey Rosen - Accession, Blessings Ozieme-Felix and Keisha Shah on the topic ‘The struggle with the the Juggle.’ The second panel on ‘Male allyship, are we there yet?’ expertly moderated by Baroness Verma questioned equity, equality, barriers, opportunities and most importantly actions. Gary Ford highlighted and presented with experience how he disliked the term ‘male ally.’ His reasons were backed by through lived experiences and suggested the phrase ‘inclusive leadership’ and how it is about fixing the culture not ‘women.’ The panel gave a real insight into how we need a mindset shift and prompted multiple further important discussions after for female entrepreneurs. Thank you to Franklin Asante - Coutts, Varun Bhanot - MAGIC AI, Tariq Shah OBE - Virgo Group Ltd, PJ Singh FCA - Stoke Park. Always wonderful to hear from Poonam Sharma, Barclays Eagle Labs highlighting the key areas and services offered for entrepreneurs within the UK. Together, a powerful collective of leaders highlighted how we can achieve wider impact on the continuous drive for female entrepreneurship. Wonderful to welcome Nurjahan Khatun and Lina Koulaouzos, MBA, CMILT, CMgr MCMI. Thank you for joining us. And finally… Thank you Baroness Sandy Verma for your continued support within WOB CIC. Now our work continues with the key conversations held yesterday with our new connections made. Watch this space 😉 Abby Ghafoor | Tobias Gould | Eileen Perry (Richards) MBE DL | Nurjahan Khatun | Jeremy Zwiegelaar, PhD | Alexandra Winward | Jen Fensome | Ashreen Seethal | Sandra Wiggins | Payal Walker |

Congratulations to Women on Boards CIC® Collaborative Partner - Executive Director Tabitha Morton, UN Women UK. Such well deserved recognition for your continued passion and highly driven leadership to create opportunities for women and girls. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Sandra Wiggins Payal Walker Abby Ghafoor Tobias Gould Nurjahan Khatun Eileen Perry (Richards) MBE DL Jen Fensome Jeremy Zwiegelaar, PhD Ashreen Seethal Alexandra Winward

Proud to post a recent article featuring our Chair Abby Ghafoor in The Times and The Sunday Times. Talking with members within our community, this budget has effected many. Businesses and individuals are amending and changing their forward planning to ensure minimum risk and future sustainability. Does this budget effect you? Sandra Wiggins Payal Walker Abby Ghafoor Tobias Gould Alexandra Winward Jen Fensome Nurjahan Khatun Jeremy Zwiegelaar, PhD Eileen Perry (Richards) MBE DL Ashreen Seethal #sundaytimes #UKbudgetarticle #entrepreneur https://lnkd.in/eDWSzNNU

Government’s blind spot - SMEs left behind in the boardroom equity battle UK News Group Abby Ghafoor Tobias Gould Nurjahan Khatun Eileen Perry (Richards) MBE DL Jeremy Zwiegelaar, PhD Jen Fensome Ashreen Seethal Alexandra Winward Sandra Wiggins Payal Walker Harpreet S. #sme #boardroom #genderequality

‘All women have the right to safety, choice and a voice’ Last night Women on Boards CIC® Founders Sandra Wiggins & Payal Walker attended the UN Women UK Awards 2024, together with some of our fabulous #WOBCIC partners and colleagues Debbie Moore Executive Leadership Coach, Mentor MSc FCIPD, David Hayes, Aarti Parmar, Harpreet S., Fiona McGonigle CMgr MCMI and 🎓 Dr Magdalena Zawisza-Riley (aka Zawisza). And what a wonderful night it was 💫 We heard inspiring stories of resilience, influence and much about the change needed with a refusal to accept the status quo. There were tears of sadness as we heard first hand about the violence against women and girls. We need to collectively keep raising awareness and lead the narrative for gender equality. Thank you to Christina Macfarlane, CNN for presenting the evening. We celebrate all the amazing winners: 💫 Unstereo Alliance Champion - Forsman & Bodenfors 💫 Safe Spaces Now Champion - Transport for London 💫 Outstanding Grassroots Campaigner - Make It Mandatory 💫 Outstanding Contributor to Gender Equality - Rashid Begum 💫 HeForShe Changemaker - Christian Endelmann 💫 Oustanding Community Champion - Asia Sharif It was wonderful to meet friends and welcome new connections Dr Satnam Deuchakar FRSA, Ithar Ghalifa, Opprah Manyika, Faustine Petron and a pleasure to meet and hear from the new Chair of UN Women UK Michele (Mitch) Oliver. And finally, this event would not be possible without the vision, time and work put in to make it the success it is. Thank you Tabitha Morton, Atonte Semira, Martha Bennett, @Kathryn Walsh, together with the Board of Trustees, Judges, media team, the singers and the Meta for hosting the evening. This is our second Awards event, and we’re already looking forward to next years 💫 We conclude this post on the note of hope. “Hope is like peace. It is a gift only we can give one another. Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.” #UNWomenUK #WOBCIC #awards Abby Ghafoor Tobias Gould Nurjahan Khatun Eileen Perry (Richards) MBE DL Ashreen Seethal Jeremy Zwiegelaar, PhD Jen Fensome Alexandra Winward UN Women UK Barclays Eagle Labs Poonam Sharma

“I grew up thinking that women ruled the world” 👑 HRH Princess Beatrice York Yesterday Women on Boards CIC® attended the inaugural WORLD WOMAN FOUNDATION event at the UK House of Lords. Invited by the formidable Lalita Taylor FRSA and Rupa Dash and hosted by the amazing Baroness Sandy Verma - we were welcomed into a room full of drive, passion and conversation. The many panelists and speakers, together with keynote Speaker HRH Princess Beatrice focussed on a broad range of topics including leadership, role models, climate change, AI and innovation. New connections made, insightful forward-thinking conversations held and most importantly, we gained a new understanding to the Commonwealth and it’s global impact. Great to meet new connections and also see familiar faces. So much to digest, reflect and read about, none moreso than hearing from the inspirational Baroness Scotland who empowered the room with every spoken word building wealth and resilience to women around the world - a point that highly resonates with Women on Boards CIC®. Thank you Lalita for the invitation, we hope to support collectively towards an equitable future for women. #commonwealth #houseoflords #newconnections Sandra Wiggins Payal Walker Abby Ghafoor Tobias Gould Jeremy Zwiegelaar, PhD Eileen Perry (Richards) MBE DL Nurjahan Khatun Ashreen Seethal Jen Fensome Alexandra Winward Tabitha Morton UN Women UK Poonam Sharma Barclays Eagle Labs Lalita Taylor FRSA Rupa Dash BBC WORLD WOMAN FOUNDATION

The power of collaboration and conversation 💫 This week the Women on Boards CIC® Think Tank was held at Barclays, Canary Wharf and welcomed our Think Tank Entrepreneurs, Research and Support Partners, all driven and committed to shaping a future rooted in equity, inclusion and leadership excellence. The collective drive and passion in the room were palpable, pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo. These moments of connection are what make our Think Tank so powerful. Together, we are laying the groundwork for meaningful action and transformation across industries and communities. We’re not just talking about change; we’re building the communities that will make it happen. Thank you to our Board Room Chairs Abby Ghafoor, Jen Fensome and Anne Davies DL, and our Think Tank Chair Baroness Sandy Verma for the closing summary, reflection and strategy guidance. We thank Poonam Sharma, Barclays Eagle Labs for her continued support and belief in this important work for gender equality. #genderequality #wobcic #thinktank Jeremy Zwiegelaar, PhD Nurjahan Khatun Abby Ghafoor Tobias Gould Ashreen Seethal Eileen Perry (Richards) MBE DL Jen Fensome Alexandra Winward UN Women UK Sandra Wiggins Payal Walker

‘Impact from within’ This is the statement that greets you upon entering Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and resonates deeply with Women on Boards CIC®. This weekend Elumni Payal Walker shared a fabulous weekend with Sandra Wiggins for the Elumni Reunion 2024. There were many highlights, wonderful introductions and new connections made, insightful talks with incredible leaders from around the world. Thank you Soumitra Dutta for an engaging opening talk, it’s exciting hearing about the new plans for the Global Leadership Centre to train the leaders of tomorrow and support leaders today. Paul Fisher followed giving an engaging, insightful talk into Negotiation Success for Leaders. The Entrepreneurship session, Chaired by Sue Dopson, welcomed Pinar Ozcan and Kutlu Kazanci. Questions around Entrepreneurship were varied and facilitated a well delivered Panel discussion. Saturday evening concluded with a wonderful dinner at the historical Keble College, Oxford, a stunning place steeped in legacy and history with fellow Elumni. WOB CIC co-Founder Payal Walker credits Saïd Business School, University of Oxford as the catalyst for her growth and the successful creation of Women on Boards CIC® with co-Founder Sandra Wiggins. It was a pleasure to visit for her second Elumni Renunion. It’s not a cliche to surround yourself with like-minded people and the past few weeks for WOB CIC have been just that. We look forward to strengthening the relationships, building on the conversations and collaborating with purpose. And now, we are finalising plans for our Think Tank tomorrow held at Barclays, Canary Wharf. Our purpose has never felt stronger 💫 #lifelonglearning #entrepreneurship #connections

Yesterday Women on Boards CIC® had the pleasure of attending an informative and insightful working group hosted by UK Women's Budget Group and The Global Institute for Woman’s Leadership (GIWL) King's College London on using data to explore gender inequalities. Great to meet new connections with the shared ethos and drive for change. Photo = proof we do work 😉 Sandra Wiggins Payal Walker Liz Hind Alexandra Winward Jeremy Zwiegelaar, PhD Nurjahan Khatun Abby Ghafoor Tobias Gould Eileen Perry (Richards) MBE DL Jen Fensome Ashreen Seethal UN Women UK Tabitha Morton Poonam Sharma Barclays Eagle Labs #wobcic #genderinequality #data