What’s in store for us at the LEAD Network Event this year?

You’re back again in the driving seat of the content for 2019 LEAD Network Event – what most inspired you during last year’s event that you want to see repeated in Madrid?
Yes, it’s an honour and exciting to be back on board as the Conference Designer for the LEAD Network event this year. I’m proud of what we achieved last year and the feedback we have received from our members about the event in London. What inspired me most was seeing it all come together and the buzz we created during the two days. Everyone I spoke to was inspired by the many personal stories our speakers shared. Seeing people make new connections and their passion with which they bring the LEAD Network mission to life is just fabulous.

What can we expect this year in terms of new offerings?
This year, the biggest change is that while we are going back to one day for the main conference, we’ve also decided to host a “LEAD-Up” Day. This was in response to many people telling us that that they would like an opportunity to go deeper on specific topics. So, this year we’re offering a range of four-hour, à la carte sessions on topics like leadership development, flexible working and of course innovation, and we’re offering a retail store tour. On top of that, we’re even featuring our very first “European Supply Chain Conference”, hosted by our Supply Chain Chapter which features a great line-up of speakers.

For the main conference, we’ve structured workshops across four tracks to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the different audiences, so look out for breakout sessions focused on D&I, Personal Development, Sector Trends & Innovations, and Retail.

How do you see the theme of the conference being brought to life in the programme you’ve put together?
Our theme for this year is “Doing not Trying: Results Matter”. In our programme, we’ll explore this theme through two different lenses: what are organisations and individuals doing to deliver results for their businesses in what’s a pretty challenging environment for both CPG and Retail? What are the trends and innovations that are really delivering the right results? We’ll also look at what organisations and leaders are doing to create a more inclusive, gender equal workplace. There are some fantastic things happening and we’ve got a great line-up of speakers to look forward to. Please go and check out the programme!

Are there some sessions that worked so well last year that we’re bringing them back with a fresh twist? What can we expect from those?
One of our highest scoring sessions last year was on the topic of Mentoring – we know it’s a topic close to our members’ hearts. This year, we’ll offer the “Mentoring Marketplace” on the LEAD-Up Day in a longer version to allow for more time to connect.

We also ran two sessions called “Career Conversations” last year, which were an opportunity to connect and discuss career questions with leaders from across the industry in a small group setting. We’ve improved the format and will allow for more intimate conversations this year. This means we’re limiting participation, so make sure you sign-up soon. One of the two sessions will also be focused on Retail careers specifically, which is very exciting.

The final session I want to highlight is the “D&I Marketplace”. This was a format we piloted last year and which we’re ready to expand and scale in 2019. It’s a great way for partners to showcase key D&I initiatives that have delivered real results and for everyone to learn from each other.

If you could sum up the reasons why our members should join us in Madrid in a few words, what would you say?
Simply put, it’s the not to be missed event of the year! Join us to be inspired by LEADers from across Europe, to learn from the best in our industry, to build your network, to develop your skills and help us progress gender equality in our sector! We look forward to welcoming you in Madrid in November!

Click here for more information on the LEAD Network Event 2019 in Madrid!

Christina Taylor
Christina Taylor is an Organisational Development Consultant and the Owner of Learn to Grow. She works with organisations to solve key business challenges through a people lens by focusing on engagement, capability development and change management. Christina also helps clients (like the LEAD Network) with conference design. She works with a number of clients across the consumer goods, financial services, travel, retail and manufacturing sector.

Before setting up her own business, Christina has worked for Mars, Incorporated for 16 years. In her role as Global Director for Talent & Learning, she’s been a business partner to one of the most senior functional leadership teams and has played a key role in the design and development of a multi-year transformation program that was aimed at building organisational capability.

Christina also serves as the Chair of the LEAD Network Education Committee. As part of this role, she leads a team of volunteers focused on providing education and best practice sharing opportunities to LEAD Network Partners and development opportunities for members.

In her spare time, Christina is a competitive sailor and shares a passion for cooking and traveling with her husband Grant.