A full day of bold ideas, honest conversations and powerful connections.
Across the UK, LGBTQ+ professionals are achieving incredible things. And yet, so many are still navigating their careers without visible role models, without safe spaces to reflect, and without networks that truly understand the nuances of being both ambitious and authentically themselves.
The Pride in Leadership Annual Conference was created to change that.
This is a day designed intentionally for LGBTQ+ professionals at every stage. Whether you already hold a formal leadership role, are growing your influence without the title, are exploring what leadership might look like for you, or simply want to build confidence and connection, this space is for you.
It’s somewhere you can think bigger, speak openly and connect meaningfully. A space where conversations about leadership, progression and impact go beyond theory and into lived experience.
We bring together senior leaders, emerging talent, founders, board members, allies and changemakers for one powerful day of insight, practical development and genuine connection.
Whether you’re stepping into your first management role, building influence at director level, leading from within your team, or still working out what your next move is, this conference will leave you clearer, braver and better connected.
This is not just another conference – it is a space for ambition. For visibility. For influence. For community.
BOOK NOW & USE THE PROMO CODE EARLY26 BEFORE SEPTEMBER TO GET OVER 20% OFF YOUR TICKET
Why attend?
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Inspiring keynote speakers and TED-style talks
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Practical masterclasses you can apply immediately
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Cross-sector networking with people who get it
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Honest discussions about leadership, power and progression
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A vibrant end-of-day networking celebration with music, food and drinks
If you’ve ever felt like you were navigating leadership alone, this room will remind you that you’re not.
Venue
Halle St Peters
Right in the heart of the city, with huge (and gorgeous) space for meaningful conversations and big ideas.
Outline Agenda
08.30 – Registration and networking
09.00 – Introduction and opening
09.25 – Discussion
10.25 – TED-style talk
10.45 – Break and networking
11.15 – Masterclass A & Masterclass B
12.15 – Lunch and networking
13.15 – Talk
14.05 – Break – return to masterclasses
14.25 – Masterclass C & Masterclass D
15.25 – Break
15.50 – In Conversation with Michael Cashman
16.50 – Closing remarks
17.00 – Networking drinks, food and music
19.00 – Close
Speaker Biographies
Lord Cashman CBE
Actor, activist, politician and author, Michael Cashman is one of the most influential figures in the history of the UK LGBTQ+ rights movement.
Born in London’s East End in 1950, he first came to national prominence as Colin Russell in EastEnders. In 1987, he was part of the first same sex kiss broadcast on British television, a moment of profound cultural significance at the height of the AIDS crisis and during the era of Section 28. At a time of widespread hostility, his visibility helped humanise gay lives and shift public attitudes across the UK.
In 1989, alongside Sir Ian McKellen and fellow campaigners, he co founded Stonewall. As founding Chair, he helped establish what would become the UK’s leading LGBT equality organisation, transforming workplace practice, influencing legislation and challenging discrimination at every level of society.
In 1999, Cashman was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands. Over 15 years in Brussels and Strasbourg, he became a formidable voice for human rights, civil liberties and LGBTQ+ equality across the European Union. As co President of the European Parliament’s LGBTQ+ Intergroup, he built cross party alliances to combat homophobia and discrimination at a time when protections varied widely between member states.
In 2014, he drew global attention to Russia’s anti LGBTQ+ laws during the Sochi Winter Olympics by publicly cutting up his Visa card in the European Parliament in protest at corporate sponsorship that ignored human rights abuses. The act underlined his lifelong belief that equality must be defended both politically and publicly.
Appointed CBE for public and political service and elevated to the House of Lords in 2014 as Baron Cashman of Limehouse, he continues to champion equality and global LGBT rights. His many honours include Stonewall Politician of the Year, the European Diversity Lifetime Achievement Award and the Honorary Freedom of the City of London.
His memoir, One of Them: From Albert Square to Parliament Square, published in 2020, interweaves his working class upbringing, acting career, political life and the deeply personal story of his 31 year partnership with Paul Cottingham.
Laura Macleod CB CVO 
Laura spent 34 years in the Royal Navy, beginning as a weapon engineer and retiring as a Rear Admiral. Her career took her from operational deployments on warships around the world to Iraq with the US Army, leadership of Middle East military engagement policy during the Arab Spring, senior responsibility for talent and people policy across the Armed Forces, and oversight of major national military events including D-Day 75. She now works as an executive coach and facilitator, helping leaders make sense of themselves and the systems they inhabit. In this session, Laura shares some of the things she wishes she had known earlier about life, leadership and change.
Sharon Davies
Sharon Davies is the founder of Good Place Co, helping purpose-driven organisations build sustainable leadership systems that enable leaders to land, lead and leave well.
Drawing on 30 years of experience across the public and not-for-profit sectors, and nearly two decades spent leading teams, organisations and system-wide change, including five years as CEO of a national charity, Sharon brings a rare blend of strategic expertise and lived leadership experience.
She understands first-hand the realities of leadership: balancing competing priorities, making difficult decisions, leading through uncertainty and carrying responsibility for people, performance and purpose.
Sharon believes that sustainable organisations are built through sustainable leadership. Not by relying solely on extraordinary individuals to carry ever-increasing pressure, but by creating leadership systems that distribute responsibility, develop capability, support good decision-making and enable people to perform at their best without burning out themselves or the organisation.
Through coaching, consultancy and leadership development, Sharon works alongside boards, CEOs and senior leadership teams to strengthen culture, build leadership capacity and navigate critical moments of transition, growth and change.
Known for combining challenge with compassion, Sharon creates trusted spaces where leaders can think clearly, speak honestly and make meaningful progress on issues that matter to them most.
Jackie Handy
Jackie Handy is a speaker, author, and creator of the Matter Model, a simple but powerful framework for understanding how people experience connection and belonging.
With over 30 years in leadership, recruitment and organisational development, she has worked extensively in the space of engagement, inclusion, and human connection.
Her work focuses on the small, everyday moments that shape whether people feel seen, valued, and able to be themselves. Through combining lessons from her work and her long-distance hiking, Jackie helps leaders create environments where both people and performance can thrive.
Sam Malone
Sam is a voice practitioner, lecturer and author specialising in spoken voice, communication and embodied professional presence. His work explores the relationship between the nervous system, the body and the voice, helping people understand how they show up, connect with others and communicate with greater confidence and impact.
Drawing on somatic awareness, nervous system regulation and practical vocal technique, Sam supports individuals to develop a stronger sense of presence, communicate more effectively and stay grounded in high-pressure environments.
He holds an MFA with Distinction in Voice Studies from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, where he now teaches, and also teaches on the RADA–NYU Tisch acting short course. Alongside his work in actor training, Sam works with organisations including Wagamama, Popeyes UK, Shoosmiths, the University of Manchester and Skadden LLP.
Sam is the author of Why They Can’t Hear You: A Practical Guide to Being Heard, which explores how the nervous system, connective tissue and spoken voice shape physical presence and impact.
Through his work with LGBTQ+ professionals, Sam creates space to explore voice, visibility and self-expression, supporting people to feel grounded, authentic and heard in professional environments.
Dr Harvey Kennedy-Pitt, DrPH, MPH
Harvey is a global public health consultant, health equity strategist, and scholar-advocate whose work focuses on advancing health equity for raciosexual and gender minorities. With expertise in research, policy, and practice, he has worked globally to develop inclusive health interventions that promote sustainable solutions and drive systemic change, dismantling barriers to better health for the most marginalised populations.
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Early Bird tickets now available
BOOK NOW & USE THE PROMO CODE EARLY26 BEFORE SEPTEMBER TO GET OVER 20% OFF YOUR TICKET
Early Bird tickets are limited and will be released for a short time only. If you know you want to be in the room, now is the moment to secure your place.
Book your place online now
or contact claire@onthelevelconsultancy.com to arrange invoice or BACS payment for multiple bookings.
Pay it forward
We have also created a Pay it forward ticket option for anyone who would like to buy a ticket for an LGBTQ+ professional who might not otherwise be able to attend.
Sponsorship opportunity
We are currently seeking sponsors for this event. By sponsoring the event, you will raise the profile of your business, while helping create meaningful spaces for connection, visibility and support.
To find out more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact claire@onthelevelconsultancy.com
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Outline of talks
The Power of Connection – Managing what matters | with Jackie Handy
Connection is something we all seek, yet it isn’t always something we feel.
In a world that increasingly prioritises inclusion and belonging, many people – particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community – still experience everyday moments of feeling unseen, unheard, or unsure of where they truly stand.
In this engaging and thought-provoking session, Jackie reveals two universal questions that sit at the heart of human connection, that everyone subtly reflects on every day. When people can answer these questions positively, they thrive. When they can’t, the impact on confidence, performance and wellbeing is significant, and often invisible to leaders. Drawing on her Matter Model®, Jackie brings a practical and human lens to what connection really looks like in the workplace.
What you’ll take away:
- A clear understanding of the two critical questions that drive connection, engagement and belonging.
- Practical ways to recognise where individuals and teams may be sitting within the Matter Model zones and what to do next.
- Simple, actionable strategies to create moments where people feel seen, valued and able to be themselves
- A renewed focus on how to make inclusion part of your everyday leadership practice.
This session will challenge you to rethink how belonging is created not only through policies, but through the small, everyday moments that shape people’s experiences at work.
Beyond Belonging: Leading communities that share power and create change | with Harvey Kennedy-Pitt
This talk explores how LGBTQ+ communities have fought for visibility, representation and inclusion, but argues that belonging alone is not enough.
Drawing on experience across public health, research and systems leadership, the talk examines how many organisations stop at diversity without meaningfully shifting power, aligning around shared purpose, or delivering tangible change. It challenges audiences to move beyond representation towards influence, collective leadership and impact, and to reconsider what it truly means to lead: not simply having a seat at the table but using it to reshape what is possible.
What I wish I knew as a leader | with Laura MacLeod CB CVO
After 34 years in the Royal Navy, Laura moved into leadership development and executive coaching. Looking back, she found herself drawn to ideas from psychology, neuroscience, anthropology, philosophy and contemporary leadership thinking.
What struck her was not how complicated these ideas were, but how useful they were.
“If someone had shared even a few of these concepts with me earlier in my career, it would have changed not only how I led, but how people experienced working with me. None of it is particularly complex and there is no magic formula. But together these ideas offer a practical and human way of thinking about leadership.”
In this thought-provoking talk, Laura shares stories from her own leadership journey alongside some of the ideas that have most influenced her thinking since leaving the military. Drawing on contemporary research and real-world experience, she explores what motivates people, why trust matters, how culture shapes behaviour, and some of the assumptions many leaders carry without ever examining them.
Attendees can expect fresh perspectives, practical insights and perhaps a few moments of recognition as they reflect on their own leadership experiences.
Whether you lead a team, an organisation, or simply want to have a greater positive impact on those around you, this talk offers an opportunity to see leadership with fresh eyes – If I knew then what I know now, what kind of leader would I have been?
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The Pride in Leadership Annual Conference is proudly sponsored by partners who believe in visible, confident and connected LGBTQ+ leadership.
Headline Partner
Our sponsors
