• Swindon & Wiltshire Events
• Tuesday October 8 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Male business leaders invited to female ‘allyship’ meeting

Male business leaders who want to help create a safer, fairer and thriving society are being invited to attend an ‘allyship’ meeting in Swindon next month.

Attendees will hear from experts who will share their experiences and best practices in promoting gender equality and will have the opportunity to learn ways of how to effectively support and advocate for gender equality in their communities as well as create happier and more productive workplaces.

Gender equality is a crucial step towards ending violence against women and girls, who continue to experience harassment, gender-based violence, workplace inequality, discrimination and stereotyping.

Gloomy figures for women in the workplace reveal:

• Three-quarters of workers on minimum wage are women
• Working women earn 15 per cent less than men, and at the current rate of change it will be 70 years before the gender pay gap closes
• Only 18 per cent of SMEs are led by women

Organisers hope best practices from this event will not only generate a positive impact on employee retention, productivity and recruitment, with female employees feeling safer and more supported in their workplace, but will act as a catalyst for wider action towards gender equality across Wiltshire and Swindon.

The event is being organised by Wiltshire Community Foundation, which recently launched a new Women and Girls Fund aimed at supporting projects that empower women and girls across Wiltshire and Swindon.

Hosted by radio presenter James Threlfall MBE, an advocate for youth empowerment, the event will feature speakers Frank Mullane MBE, an expert in family support and domestic abuse prevention, Jeremy Blain, a global leadership and workplace culture specialist, and Kate Rowland from Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service.

Speakers will share their insights on how male allyship can play a critical role in challenging negative behaviour and advancing equality in professional and personal environments.

The event is sponsored by accountancy firm Charlton Baker, meaning that all ticket proceeds will go towards the Foundation’s Women and Girls Fund.

“Even though I’ll be hosting this, I’m really keen to also listen and learn a lot more about what we can do to support women and discuss where we’re collectively falling down, perhaps without even realising,” said James.

“Through our speakers, this is going to be really insightful and I’m hopeful that we can all walk away with some really tangible actions that we can put into practice to push for greater gender equality both in our respective industries and day-to-day lives.”

Wiltshire Community Foundation joint chief executive Fiona Oliver said: “We are very proud to be running this important event. Wiltshire Community Foundation is committed to improving equality, diversity and inclusion across the county.

“It will provide an opportunity for the business community to come together and learn more about the role of male allyship and how this can improve workplace culture so we have safer, equitable, thriving communities for all.

“We are very grateful to Charlton Baker for kindly sponsoring this event, which allows us to dedicate all ticket proceeds towards our Women and Girls Fund. It’s time to inspire and generate real change within our county, and we hope that this event, and those attending, will act as a catalyst for that.”

Scott Sartin, managing director of Charlton Baker, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the event, which will highlight key information on best practices on promoting gender equality within our local communities, an extremely important topic in modern society.

“We very much look forward to attending and hearing from the speakers about their lived experiences and having the chance to network with various other individuals and businesses who also want to take the right steps to promote gender equality.”

The event will take place on Friday, November 22 from 10am to 1pm in the newly refurbished Legends Lounge at the County Ground in Swindon.

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/inspiring-confident-allyship-tickets-965798789177

Image by Mohamed Hassan at Pixabay