[Podcast] Inclusion & Diversity Series: Gender Diversity – a women’s panel

by Nov 19, 2021Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Events, Podcasts

As part of the City & Guilds Foundation Inclusion and diversity events series, offering thought-provoking conversations and actionable steps to promote equal opportunities and improve inclusion and diversity in your organisation.

In this event we explored gender diversity and women inclusion in male-dominated industries.

Women have made substantial progress in business and leadership positions. But many STEM-related fields are still resistant to gender diversity. How can coaching, mentoring and sponsorship help women increase their self-confidence and let their talent become the true driver for career progression?

Panel guest include:

Sonya Byers ( @veerasamy_sonya )

Chief Executive of Women in Transport

Sonya Byers is Chief Executive of Women in Transport. A non-profit membership network which supports the professional development of women working in transport through networking, mentoring, training and volunteering.

Women in Transport act as the secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary for women in transport which campaigns for gender balance in the transport workforce.

Alexandra Evreinoff  ( alexandra-evreinoff )

Managing Director of INvolve

Alexandra has worked at INvolve for almost eight years, and has been integral to the development and success of the business as a D&I consultancy and network working across intersectional inclusion. As the first person to join INvolve’s CEO, Suki Sandhu, in creating and growing the OUTstanding LGBT+ network back in 2013, she was responsible for engaging and nurturing an amazing range of clients that INvolve still works with today, and orientating them around positive actions to support diverse talent. This experience of driving inclusive cultures with global clients has helped position Alex as an expert on all things inclusion and allowed her to shape INvolve’s growing portfolio of inclusion initiatives.

Charly Young  (  @young_charlotte )  

CEO of The Girls’ Network

Charly founded The Girls’ Network with Becca in 2013, whilst they were teaching in secondary schools in North West London. Her background is in education that supports the whole child, and the use of networks to facilitate this. Prior to teaching, she worked at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) as an education researcher, and with Whole Education supporting school leadership teams.

She is passionate about the use of networks to empower, support and mobilise people, and believes that good mentoring can be transformational, for both mentor and mentee.

Carmen Watson  ( carmen-watson )

Chair at Pertemps Recruitment Partnership

Carmen Watson has established herself as one of the UK’s most successful recruitment leaders. During her time with Pertemps she has navigated through challenging business climates, implemented a strategy which has helped drive growth and position Pertemps as a market leader in its field, servicing a broad cross section of industry verticals and public sector bodies.

Through promoting and delivering best practise in the field of attraction, recruitment and retention of a diverse range of talent, Carmen has ensured Diversity and Inclusion is at the fore.

Visit for more information: https://cityandguildsfoundation.org/advocacy-networks/inclusion-and-diversity/event-5-gender-diversity-a-womens-panel/

Like what you hear? See our Buzzsprout page or subscribe on Adobe Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to be kept up to date?

Sign up to City & Guilds Foundation email alerts and newsletter

Previous posts

Foundation & Friends podcast: Inspiring Inclusion with Sparta Global

Here at City & Guilds, our purpose is helping people, organisations and economies develop their skills for growth. Through our Foundation, we act as a catalyst for this work, by helping remove barriers to getting a job, celebrating best practice on the job and...

Championing apprenticeships: Insights from City & Guilds’ Young Learner Advisory Team

With nearly 150 years’ experience of successfully supporting training and skills development across the UK and globally, City & Guilds believes in listening to learners. Our new Young Learner Advisory Team (YLAT) guide us by sharing their valuable insights and...

What we learned about making applications more accessible – for refugee women and for all

Access to training and learning opportunities is one of the barriers for refugee women with experience of seeking safety to start or progress their professional lives in the UK. This includes financial barriers, as well as other barriers related to accessing...

Improving young refugees’ educational outcomes through our partnership with the Positive Youth Foundation

At the City & Guilds Foundation we’re passionate about advocating for, and supporting, people who face barriers to accessing skills development. Two years ago, we looked at supporting refugees as a beneficiary group – and have supported a number of different grass...

Bookings now open for City and Guilds of London Art School Spring and Summer Short Courses 2024!

The City and Guilds of London Art School are delighted to announce the launch of their Spring/Summer 2024 Short Courses. A perfect last-minute gift for yourself or someone you love! Next term, they will be extending their pilot programme of Evening Courses with Spring...

Celebrating the very best training and development programmes in the UK and Ireland

Last week, 53 recipients from the UK and Ireland were warmly welcomed to St James’s Palace, in London, to receive their Princess Royal Training Award from Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal.

Human-Centered Leadership: Nurturing Creativity, Connection, and Collaboration

We attended Anthropy this month. The second edition of a gathering like no other, set in the beautiful Eden Project in Cornwall to bring together leading voices to imagine a better world. It’s no surprise that leadership was at the centre of conversations as a tool...

Big Idea Fund: Five new projects awarded funding to unlock potential and support rehabilitation

Back in June we announced that we were inviting expressions of interest for the second round of our Big Idea Fund. The £1m Big Idea Fund was established in 2019 as the first major initiative of our Foundation, to support prisoners with upskilling to aid their...

Neurodiversity Index 2024

Did you know that in the workplace, 40% of neurodivergent employees say they are impacted most days in the workplace by their condition and only 32% of employees felt that they can disclose their neurodivergent condition? These are some of the key findings from our...

Podcast episodes

Foundation & Friends Podcast (2024-)

​Green Skills Podcast in collaboration with Green Edge (2024-)

Hosted by Dr. Michael Cross and Fraser Harper, this podcast series explores the critical transition towards a sustainable planet and the pivotal role of green skills in shaping the economy.

Listen now

City & Guilds Foundation Podcast (2021-22)

Share This