The Invisible Responsibilities of Leadership

Date: Tuesday 20th October

Time: 11:45am for 12:15pm till 2:15pm

The Invisible Responsibilities of Leadership

Venue: Cedar Court Hotels, Harrogate, Park Parade, Harrogate, HG1 5AH

Panel: Caroline Broad, Connect Yorkshire Board Member, will chair the conversation, with an exciting panel: Aqila Choudhry MBE MBA - Managing Director, Love In Care, Kate Auld - Founder, The Personal Cyclist, Sarah Valentine-Bull - Founder, Valentines Vitality and Lisa Pogson - Managing Director, Airmaster & Connect Yorkshire Entrepreneur in Residence

Leadership has never been more demanding.

Behind every successful leader are choices, compromises and responsibilities that often go unseen.

Connect Yorkshire is bringing together women leaders for a candid conversation exploring the realities behind leadership; the decisions, challenges and life experiences that shape how we lead.

While the conversation will centre on women’s experiences, leaders of all backgrounds are welcome. Because understanding the realities people are navigating outside of work can help us build more supportive, inclusive and high-performing businesses.

Speaker bios:

Aqila Choudhry MBE MBA: Managing Director, Love In Care | President, West Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce

With more than 25 years’ experience in social care, Aqila Choudhry has held senior leadership roles across business, healthcare and the charity sector, alongside her work supporting her local community. Aqila was awarded an MBE for Public and Political Service in recognition of her contribution.

Aqila founded Love In Care following personal experiences of gaps in culturally appropriate care. Since 2016, the organisation has grown to employ more than 70 people, providing person-centred care while creating opportunities, independence and career development for women from some of Leeds’ most deprived communities.

Aqila brings a powerful perspective to The Invisible Responsibilities of Leadership, drawing on her experiences of entrepreneurship, community, family and leading organisations built around people, purpose and inclusion.

Kate Auld: Responsible for Active Travel, North Yorkshire Sport | Founder, The Personal Cyclist

Kate Auld works at North Yorkshire Sport to help kickstart a revolution in active travel, alongside running The Personal Cyclist, where she helps busy, successful leaders build confidence on two wheels.

Having started her career in corporate life in London and worked on London 2012, Kate’s journey has taken her through some unexpected twists and turns, ultimately leading her to make more purposeful career choices.

She brings an honest perspective on The Invisible Responsibilities of Leadership, exploring career expectations, confidence, purpose and the moments in life that can prompt us to rethink what success really looks like.

In 2023, Kate was recognised by Cycling UK as one of its 100 Women in Cycling.

Sarah Valentine-Bull: Founder, Valentines Vitality

With more than 30 years of corporate and business experience, Sarah understands first-hand the demands and pressures that come with entrepreneurship and leadership.

Founding her own businesses gave Sarah the flexibility to support her family, while her interest in health and nutrition grew through supporting her two daughters’ athletic journeys.

Seeing first-hand the role food, energy and wellbeing play in performance and everyday life inspired Sarah’s move into health coaching and the creation of Valentines Vitality.

Sarah brings a powerful perspective to The Invisible Responsibilities of Leadership, exploring how easily our own health and wellbeing can slip down the priority list while we focus on businesses, teams, families and everyone else around us.

Lisa Pogson: Managing Director, Airmaster | Connect Yorkshire Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR)

Lisa Pogson is Managing Director of Airmaster, bringing more than 25 years of experience of leading and growing a business.

A passionate advocate for people development, Lisa has navigated the realities of growth alongside the personal and professional pressures that come with leadership. She has spoken openly about balancing motherhood with running a business, supporting people through difficult times and the responsibilities that often sit behind the leadership role.

As a Connect Yorkshire Entrepreneur in Residence, Lisa also mentors fellow founders and business leaders, bringing a wealth of experience and a refreshingly honest perspective to The Invisible Responsibilities of Leadership.

As part of our business model, we have partners from the professional service sector (lawyers, accountants, recruiters, insurance, wealth management), who pay to have exclusivity in our group.

So unfortunately, as we already have partners in these sectors, if you are in the professional service sector, you will not be able to attend our events going forward.