Women in Business Forum 2025

Empower Learn Inspire Connect

The Women in Business Forum 2025 offers a unique opportunity to pause from day-to-day operations and focus on your growth as a leader. Through a half-day of expert-led workshops, empowering guest talks, and curated networking, this event empowers women to work on their business - not just in it.

Building on the success of our inaugural event, the 2025 Forum will again provide an inclusive and inspiring platform for businesswomen across industries to invest in their professional development, build lasting connections, and unlock new opportunities.

Whether you’re scaling your enterprise, launching a startup, or developing your leadership career, this Forum is designed for you.

The objectives of the Forum:

• Empower: to provide valuable insights and networking opportunities to empower women entrepreneurs, encouraging diversity and inclusion by sharing best practices in the workplace.

• Learn: to address common challenges faced by women in business, providing insights and strategies to overcome them.

• Inspire: to highlight the achievements of women in various roles, sharing their stories to inspire others and discuss pathways to success.

• Connect: to create a platform for professional connections and collaborations.

Women in business are vital to the health and success of the global economy. By overcoming challenges and leveraging their unique strengths, women continue to make significant strides in various industries. We look forward to your support and participation in making this Forum a resounding success

Keynote Speaker

We are delighted to welcome Renée Elliott, organic food pioneer and founder of Planet Organic, as this year’s headline speaker. Renée’s keynote, On Another Planet, will trace her 30-year journey of being a values-led food warrior, fighting the odds, personal development and achieving right over might. She firmly believes in Strategy & Self – that if you develop a robust business plan plus an understanding of self, you can achieve anything.

Renée Elliott is a pioneering entrepreneur, best known for founding Planet Organic, the UK’s only organic supermarket, in 1995. Driven by a mission to promote health and biodiversity, she revolutionised retail by demonstrating that values-led business is good business. After leaving Planet Organic in 2016 to mentor and coach emerging entrepreneurs, Renée has dedicated over 30 years to blending business acumen with self-awareness. In 2023, she led a successful bid to reacquire her company, steering it back to profitability. Renée’s numerous accolades include being named among Britain’s most entrepreneurial women and London’s most influential figures, exemplifying impact, resilience, and visionary leadership, truly inspiring futures.

Agenda

The Women in Business Forum 2025 will feature a guest speaker, followed by a series of interactive morning workshops on key topics, and a networking lunch.

Breakout sessions

1) Empower | Owning your power: championing women’s confidence and leadership in business.

Facilitated by Sandra Porter and Kirsty Hammatt, The HR Dept

Women’s skills set and the confidence it fuels greatly impact careers and economic participation. In this session, we’ll explore how to build women’s self‑belief at every level, make opportunities for collaborations, partnerships and how you can truly own your power.

Together, we’ll look at how to:

• Understand the link between women’s skill set, confidence, and leadership potential
• Identify collaborative opportunities and partnerships that support business growth – How leaders’ thinking and behaviours can encourage collaboration, innovation and growth
• Access local support networks – including mentors, peer groups, Uni programmes and business coaches – who help unlock your potential

Meet the Facilitators

Sandra Porter is a HR expert having spent her career initially at director level in large corporate companies and then running her own award-winning HR consultancy, since 2016. She is also author of the book 'How to be a HR Superstar' and is a mentor to upcoming HR professionals seeking to make an impact in their organisations.

Kirsty Hammatt is currently serving as the Director of HR Services at The HR Dept, where since June 2018 she has held various roles including Senior Human Resources Manager, Human Resources Manager, and Human Resources Advisor. Kirsty holds a CIPD qualification in HR from Brooklands Technical College and a Bachelor's degree in Counselling Psychology from The Open University.

2) Learn | Communicate with Purpose: Authentic, Strategic, Effective.

Facilitated by Gabby Coroa, 7DOTS

Whether you’re leading a team or growing a client base, your words matter. This workshop explores how authentic, purpose-driven communication can build trust, loyalty, and engagement – inside and outside your business. Drawing on 16 years of experience with global brands, Gabriela Coroa will share a practical framework that simplifies how to communicate with clarity and purpose.

In just 30 minutes, you’ll uncover:

• How to craft messages that connect and inspire action
• Ways to stay authentic while still communicating strategically as you grow
• Simple tools to improve both team alignment and customer trust

Meet the Facilitator

Gabriela Coroa is a Strategy Director with more than 16 years’ experience developing digital strategies for global brands such as Kellogg’s, Dove, Nestlé, Puma, and Coca-Cola. She specialises in helping companies connect more meaningfully with people by creating digital experiences that are both human-centred and commercially effective. Alongside her agency work with global clients, Gabriela is passionate about simplifying strategy so that anyone from small business owners to senior leaders can communicate with clarity and purpose. Her approach removes jargon and complexity, focusing instead on what makes communication authentic, memorable, and effective.

3) Inspire | Building a High-Performance Culture: How Mindset, Habits, and Environment Shape Success.

Facilitated by Claire Darby and Emma Rothstein, Pearson Hards Solicitors

What separates high-performing individuals and teams from the rest? It often comes down to mindset, culture, and small daily behaviours. In this session, we will explore the psychological and cultural factors that drive high performance in individuals and organisations – an overview of growth mindset, how people think and conceptualise success and where high performance comes from;

Together, we’ll look at:

• The power of practice versus talent
• How a fixed vs. growth mindset influences behaviours, performance, and resilience
• Different attitudes to failure and how creating a learning mindset and culture drives continuous improvement
• Practical ways leaders can embed growth-driven behaviours across their teams

Meet the Facilitators

Claire Darby qualified as a solicitor in 2011. She joined Pearson Hards’ dispute resolution team from a City law firm, where she trained. She specialises in all aspects of dispute resolution, including contested probate matters, contract, negligence claims, employment matters and landlord and tenant disputes. Since the start of 2025 Claire has also been Managing the Wills and Probate team and has enjoyed learning about a new area of law.

Emma Rothstein qualified as a solicitor in 2006 and joined Pearson Hards from another Surrey firm where she had sole responsibility for the family and matrimonial work. She became Partner in charge of the Family Department in February 2017 and works closely with the family team. Emma specialises in all aspects of family law including divorce, co-habitation, children and pre/post nuptial agreements.

Why are we organising this event?

The importance of women in business in the UK cannot be overstated. Despite facing numerous challenges, women in business continue to break barriers and redefine leadership. From driving economic growth and innovation to enhancing corporate performance and fostering social equality, the contributions of women are vital.

Who will be attending?

Among our guests are leaders, SME business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, professionals from a wide range of industries and enterprise sizes, representing both local and international operations. Business students and recent graduates are also very welcome.

Venue:

We're excited to announce that this event will take place at DoubleTree by Hilton with the networking lunch at their Hawkers Bar and Brasserie.

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We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact the Kingston Chamber of Commerce team at info@kingstonchamber.co.uk.

Don't miss out on this valuable event! Spaces for our Women in Business events are high in demand and limited, so do book early to avoid disappointment.

Cancellation policy: In the event you need to cancel your reservation, please cancel within 48 hours in order to receive a refund.