About this Event
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This International Women’s Month, join us for Women’s Summit - a half-day gathering in Kensington Central Library's beautiful lecture hall created to mark International Women’s Day through reflection, learning and meaningful connection.
The summit brings together expert female speakers, artists and leaders, and welcomes women from all walks of life for a thoughtful, informative and energising afternoon.
Through short talks and interactive conversations, this event creates space for reflection, meaningful exchange and offers renewed clarity about your ideas, direction and connections with others.
Whether you are navigating change, building something new, seeking inspiration, or simply wanting to feel more connected - this summit offers a carefully curated environment for insight, growth and genuine exchange.
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What to expect
- TED-style talks from experienced female leaders, creatives and practitioners
- Interactive Q&A and facilitated moments of reflection
- A dedicated networking break - refreshments will be available during the break, offering a relaxed moment to pause, connect and continue conversations
- Space to listen, share insights and build meaningful connections
This is not just a conference, but a gathering - designed to honour women’s lived experience, expertise and collective strength.
Who This Event Is For
For women from all backgrounds, careers, and stages of life - whether you come to listen, reflect, connect, or contribute. No prior experience or expertise is needed. Celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s Month in a space created for inspiration, honesty and connection. We can’t wait to welcome you.
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Featured Speakers & Topics:
Ansuya - Words Turn Silence into Stories
A prize-winning poet whose work explores lived experience, resilience and self-claiming. Her debut collection Wolves at My Door is widely praised for its emotional honesty and depth, transforming personal history into language that resonates and connects.
Mila Milicevic - Access Is the Real Infrastructure: Why We Lose Half the Future Before It Even Starts
Founder of Wings of Legacy, a global platform expanding access for early-career women in high-barrier industries. Mila works across aviation, cybersecurity, AI, and global affairs, focusing on visibility, opportunity, and meaningful inclusion.
Anna Kalbasko - Leadership Is a Relationship: How Our Childhood Experiences Shape the Way We Lead
Therapist, executive coach, and TEDx speaker specialising in inner-child work and self-leadership. Anna supports leaders and entrepreneurs in understanding how early experiences shape the way we lead, decide, and relate.
Penny Triantafillou - From Invisible to Influential: Building Your Professional Presence Through Authentic Connection
Associate Director of Business Partnerships at the University of Warwick’s Innovation District. Penny is a leadership advocate, podcast host, and founder of the Healthcare & Innovation Women’s Leadership Network, with a passion for visibility and influence.
Amina Abdat - The Woman You Become After the Fire
Academic, speaker, and founder of The Round Table Writing Retreats. Dr Abdat creates spaces where women navigating ambition, healing, and growth can reconnect with their voice and sense of purpose.
Bina Patel - From Belief to Impact: Building a Life and Brand That Matters
Director of Jivan Room, a luxury wellbeing brand rooted in purpose, compassion, and holistic living. Bina’s work is guided by intention, ambition, and a strong commitment to positive impact and animal welfare.
Valérie Fobe Coruzzi - Change Is an Invitation - Be Curious and Let Things Flow
Executive coach, trainer, and author with over 15 years’ experience supporting individuals and organisations worldwide. Her work focuses on growth, relational dynamics, and navigating change with clarity and courage.
Tricia Pereira - Leading With Integrity: Compassion, Courage, and the Power of Pamoja
Social worker, restorative practitioner, and senior director. The first Black Chair of the Adults’ Principal Social Worker Network, Tricia is a champion of compassionate leadership, wellbeing, and collective resilience.
Mel Byron - Life, Laughter, and the Serious Comedy of Being a Woman
Award-winning comedian, writer, and public speaking coach, known for warmth, wit, and connection. Mel brings humour and humanity to conversations about confidence, communication, and finding your voice.
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is a prize-winning published poet whose work cuts to the bone of lived experience. Drawing on themes of trauma, childhood neglect and cultural expectation, her poetry traces a powerful arc from silence and survival to resilience and self-claiming. Her debut collection, Wolves at My Door, has been praised for its emotional honesty and fearless engagement with difficult truths. Breaking away from inherited narrative of who she was meant to be, Ansuya writes about who she has become. Her poems are rooted in memory, body and feeling, transforming pain into language that resonates and endures. Through precise imagery and emotional clarity, she creates work that invites readers to recognise themselves, to feel deeply, and to imagine the possibility of not just surviving, but thriving. Her poetry builds connection through presence and experience. For Ansuya, the poem is the speaker, not the writer. “Poetry is not about being a poet. It’s about being human.”
Instagram :
Lift your eyes
Where the roads dip and where the roads rise
Seek only there
Where the grey light meets the green air
The Hermit’s chapel, the pilgrim’s prayer.
By T.S. Eliot
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is the founder of Wings of Legacy, a global platform expanding access for early-career women navigating high-barrier industries. Her work explores how visibility becomes credibility, and how opportunity and sponsorship are distributed across sectors including aviation, cybersecurity, AI, and global affairs.
Through summits, mentorship and skills-led access models, Mila builds practical systems that move beyond performative inclusion toward meaningful, measurable change. Alongside this work, she is a fractional COO and operations advisor, known for her systems-level approach to leadership and access.
Website: https://wingsoflegacy.co/
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, MSc is a therapist, executive coach for leaders, and TEDx speaker who integrates inner child work into the way we work and lead. With a background spanning psychology and leadership development, she supports leaders and entrepreneurs in strengthening self-leadership through inner work. Anna explores how childhood experiences shape the way we lead, decide, relate, and hold responsibility and how reconnecting with the inner child can unlock a more conscious way of leading.
Website: https://www.being-aware.co.uk/
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is Associate Director of Business Partnerships at the Warwick Innovation District, University of Warwick, where she connects academia and industry to turn research into real-world impact. Having moved countries multiple times and arrived in the UK without a network, Penny rebuilt her career from a temporary role to senior leadership — a journey that fuels her passion for helping women become visible and influential in their fields.
Penny hosts the podcast Women Leaders: Tales, Trails and Truths, has published in Times Higher Education, and founded the Healthcare & Innovation Women’s Leadership Network, bringing senior women together around healthcare, technology, and inclusive innovation.
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is an academic, speaker, and founder of The Round Table Writing Retreats. She holds a PhD in Education and works closely with women and doctoral researchers navigating growth, healing, and self-reclamation alongside ambition and purpose. Through her work, Dr. Abdat creates spaces where women are supported not only to succeed, but to become, to rise after going through hard times, rediscover their voice, and step into the woman they are meant to be. Her talks are rooted in lived experience, reflection, and quiet strength, offering both honesty and hope.
https://www.theroundtableretreats.co.uk/
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is the Director of Jivan Room, a pioneering concept turned luxury brand rooted in a holistic approach to life and wellbeing. She is known for her positive outlook, ambition, and strong ethos toward animal welfare. Guided by the belief “if they can do it, I can do it,” Bina’s work is driven by purpose and intention. She believes that if she can change even one person’s life, the world gains that much more.
Website:
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is an executive coach, speaker, trainer, and author, with a passion for people, their complexity and their potential for growth. For over 15 years, she has supported individuals and groups including (elite athletes, organisations, small businesses or major international corporations). Her desire to share knowledge and broaden our personal perspectives is inspired by her extensive travels and curiosity about life and human relationships. Resisting the movement of life and change is a trap in the long run. As a psycho-practitioner in Paris, she specialises in managing relational dynamics and conflicts between life or business partners.
Website: https://www.valuesandchange-coaching.com/in-english
https://www.vfc-coaching-therapies-paris.com
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FRSA is a Social Worker, Restorative Practitioner, and senior Director with experience across children’s and adults’ social care and the voluntary sector. The first Black Chair of the Adults’ Principal Social Worker Network, she has chaired multiple Government advisory groups shaping national practice and policy. Tricia champions compassionate, relational leadership and designs programmes that lift and support women leaders. Her work blends operational excellence with well-being, nature‑based resilience practices, and the power of Pamoja — togetherness. Helping leaders to thrive, stay grounded, courageous, and connected whilst navigating complex systems.
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is an award-winning comedian, writer, and public speaking and presenting coach, widely known for her warmth, wit, and ability to connect with any audience. An in-demand host and MC, she has taken her solo comedy shows to festivals including Edinburgh, Manchester, Brighton, and Luxembourg.
Alongside her performance work, Mel runs highly successful courses in public speaking and presenting, helping people find confidence, clarity, and joy in their voice. Her comedy has been described as “a total tonic” — uplifting, insightful, and exactly what people didn’t know they needed.
Website: https://www.melbyron.co.uk
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🤍 Our Event Partners & Sponsors 🤍
This event is proudly made possible through the support and collaboration of our wonderful partners, who together create a welcoming, inspiring experience for our speakers and guests.
RBKC Libraries and Archives
📍 12 Phillimore Walk, W8 7RX
As our host and venue partner, RBKC Libraries and Archives, provide the stunning lecture hall that sets the tone for meaningful conversation and connection. In addition to hosting, they support the event through promotion and community outreach, helping us bring these important voices and stories to a wider audience.
Damascene Rose Deli
📍 168 Kensington High Street
Our catering sponsor, Damascene Rose Deli, is a much-loved destination for authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. From freshly baked goods and vibrant produce to halal meats, frozen foods, snacks, and drinks, the deli offers a rich and generous selection of flavours - perfect for sharing and enjoying together.
Cool Creative
📍 5 Holland Street, W8 4NA
🌐 https://cool-creative.com
Providing hair and makeup for our women speakers, Cool Creative is an award-winning salon and Winner of the England’s Business Awards 2025. Their talented stylists specialise in creating personalised looks that reflect individuality and enhance natural beauty - from polished, on-trend styles to elegant, statement finishes for special occasions.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Kensington Central Library, 12 Phillimore Walk, London, United Kingdom
GBP 6.13 to GBP 11.55
