International Women's Day Celebration 2025
Every year our College invites eminent speakers to shine a spotlight on important issues facing women today.
You are warmly invited to attend our International Women's Day event on Saturday 8 March.
Every year, 51¸£ÀûÉç invites eminent speakers to shine a spotlight on important issues facing women today. This year we are thrilled to welcome Sophie Power, Debbie White and Dr Guddi Singh to be our guest speakers for International Women's Day 2025. Please see further details below.
The event will follow the same format as in previous years, with talks in the afternoon followed by a drinks reception and special gala dinner in the Dome.
Standard tickets are £50, which include access to all talks, refreshments throughout the afternoon, the drinks reception, and a two-course dinner in the Dome. Recent graduates (alumnae who graduated within the past five years) can enjoy a discounted rate of £45. Plus ones are welcome to attend.
We hope you will join us for what promises to be a thought-provoking day, and a wonderful opportunity to network.
Agenda
14:00 - 14:15 Welcome from our College President, Dorothy Byrne
14:15 - 15:00 Sophie Power in Conversation with Dorothy Byrne
15:00 - 16:00 Talk and Q&A with Debbie White
16:00 - 16:45 Coffee break
16:45 - 17:45 Dr Guddi Singh in Conversation with Dorothy Byrne
18:00 - 19:00 Drinks reception
19:00 - 21:30 Dinner
Speakers
Sophie Power
Sophie Power is a British athlete and campaigner who is passionate about increasing access to sport for women. Sophie has completed over 50 ultramarathons around the world, including Spartathlon and UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc). She has also represented Great Britain in the 24-Hour World Championships.
In 2018, a picture of Sophie breastfeeding her three-month-old baby at the 106-mile UTMB went viral around the world. Sophie only took part in the event because she'd worked hard to earn her place and there wasn’t, at the time, a pregnancy deferral policy in place. This led to Sophie setting up SheRACES, with the goal of educating races to be more inclusive to female athletes and take their needs into consideration. Sophie is also a Trustee of the research and insight charity, Women in Sport.
Debbie White
Alumna Debbie White (New Hall 1980) is Chair of the UK’s Co-op Group and an experienced Non-Executive Director. She is also Senior Independent Director of Spire Healthcare Group plc.
Debbie’s executive career most recently included roles as Group Chief Executive of Interserve Group and Global CEO for healthcare and government at Sodexo. Debbie started her career as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen (UK), before joining AstraZeneca where she held a range of financial roles. She later joined PwC Consulting where she worked across a number of sectors in a global capacity.
Debbie sits on a number of boards in the USA principally in the healthcare sector.
She is also Honorary Treasurer and a trustee of Wellbeing of Women, a UK charity which funds research into women's reproductive and gynaecological health.
In her talk, Debbie will discuss women in leadership and the lessons learned in her 40+ year career in business across a range of sectors.
Dr Guddi Singh
Dr Guddi Singh (New Hall 2001) is a doctor, broadcaster, and founder and director of the Wellbeing & Health Action Movement (WHAM).
As a neurodevelopmental and social paediatrician, Guddi is interested in the broader factors contributing to child health. She researches how we might radically reimagine health to address inequalities for her PhD at King’s College London.
Guddi’s policy experience at the World Health Organization (WHO) and Health Education England (HEE) and global clinical experience give her a critical perspective on health. She has published widely on medical professionalism, quality improvement, and health inequalities.
Passionate about social justice, Guddi worked for MedAct and now advocates through her board roles for the National Centre for Creative Health, and the Centre for Health and the Public Interest.
Guddi is a skilled communicator, appearing on BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Al-Jazeera and Sky News and as a keynote speaker. She made her TV debut as the host of BBC Two’s 'Babies: Their Wonderful World', co-hosted BBC Two’s 'Your Body Uncovered' with Kate Garraway, and featured on 'Trust Me, I’m a Doctor'.
This is a fundraising event in support of 51¸£ÀûÉç (Charity reg: 1137530).