2005 London Gatherings:

17th January
A Feminised Profession? Women in Medicine, with Professor Carol Black, President of the Royal College of Physicians. Building on her widely reported remarks in the press over the summer about the potential consequences of a woman-heavy medical profession, Professor Black will be joining thinkingwomen for a wider discussion about the gender dynamics at work within professional occupations, and sharing her own experiences as a woman who has made it to the top in medicine.

For background on Carol's comments, see http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1274299,00.html

1st February
How Networking can Change your Life with Carole Stone. Credited with turning networking and making friends into an art form, Carole has more than 14,000 names in her address book, and ranks all from leading politicians and media celebrities to heads of charities and private businesses amongst her closest friends. For ten years she was the producer of the BBC's flagship programme Any Questions? and is now a television and radio broadcaster. She also writes for national newspapers and magazines and runs her own media consultancy business.

9th March
In Conversation with the Rt Hon Theresa May MP.Now many months into her new role as Shadow Secretary of State for the Family, Theresa will join us for an evening of discussion about politics, parliament, the Tories, and her own career as a woman in the House.

26th April
Evening discussion with Sir John Whitmore
After two successful years of female speaker meetings, it's time for a change.... The discussion, entitled 'Leading Ladies on the World Stage', concentrates on female catalysts of positive social change. Now a performance consultant, Sir John is a true Renaissance man who's really done it all. Educated at Eton, Sandhurst and Cirencester Agricultural College he then became a professional racing car driver, winning both British and European Saloon Car Championships and being a member of the Le Mans winning Ford Works team. He went onto run a large agribusiness, followed by a tennis, gold and ski school. In the meantime, he also found time to produce and direct a feature film and write several books on coaching and performance. In his current role he works with a large number of blue chip clients. So if would like to discover who someone adept at multi-skilling regards as the most influential and talented current female instigators of change, please come along to what promises to be a fantastic event.

4th June
Not a gathering - a Public Speaking Workshop!
TW in conjunction with Debate Chamber will be holding a one day workshop on public speaking. The workshop will be facilitated by Worlds, European and UK & Ireland universities debating and public speaking champions. The focus of the day will be using proven advanced techniques to develop the following skills: persuasion, refutation, power, control and confidence.

For more information have a look at this
If you would like to attend the event e-mail Ewa

16th June 2005, 6.30pm
We would like to invite you to join us at a very special event organised in partnership with Westminster Bookshop, which opened last October in its fabulous Artillery Row premises specialising in British and world politics, history and biography. one of Britain's leading female QCs will be talking about her recently published book on the lives of political spouses, and signing copies for sale on the night. Entrance is £5 which includes a glass of wine or soft drink and a discount off our speaker's book. Demand for this event is expected to be high and places are strictly limited; enquiries and rsvp to Helen

Monday 12th December, 6.30-8.00pm
Rise to the top: Managing a career at a professional services company.
Lis Astall, Accenture UK Managing Director.
Lis has been with Accenture for 21 years and as the UK Managing Director has covered all the company's public and private sector business. In the UK Accenture employs 11,700 people and annual revenues for FY05 were $2.56bn. During the seminar Lis will talk about the successes and challenges she has faced throughout her career and what it takes to manage a complex and constantly changing business. Please note: there will be £5 entrance fee. The sum will cover room booking and refreshments costs. RSVP to Ewa Switala

2005 Manchester Gatherings:

Monday 17th January, 6.30 - 8.00pm
New Year, New beginnings with Clare McGregor, Life Coach
An opportunity for you to reflect on the past year and form some objectives for 2005, either personal, professional or both. Life coach, Clare will talk about tools and techniques for focusing your thoughts and shaping your objectives. This will be followed by a practical session in small groups. A starting point might be to work out your values on the Wheel of Life.

Background: As well as a qualified life coach, Clare McGregor is an independent consultant offering training, research, evaluation and project development in the public, voluntary and community sectors. Recently this has concentrated on social exclusion and the criminal justice system. She is currently helping Manchester City Council develop their resettlement strategy for ex-prisoners.

Wednesday 9th February, 6.30 - 8.00pm
Pigeon Holing: What's the point of defining different interest groups when campaigning for equality with Ann Wade, Equal Opportunities and Social Inclusion Manager, North West Regional Assembly and Siddika Ahmed, Network Development Manager, NW Network
How effective it is to divide equality issues up into different interest groups such as gender, race, religion, ability etc rather than have a set of terms which define equal status and then work from there. What are the pros and cons of such an approach? Ann and Siddika will draw on their experience to talk about some of these issues, followed by a group discussion.

Monday 5th September, 6.30 - 8.00pm
Locate your power: the role of the mind during labour and birth
Judith Kurutach, the only independent midwife in the North West talks about the power of a woman's mind when she faces the challenges of labour and birth.

Wednesday 19th October, 6.30 - 8.00pm
Techniques of Assisted Conception: Liberation or Subjugation
Jeanette Edwards, Professor in Anthropology at Manchester University, explores the social impact of modern interference in human reproduction using examples from around the world