Women's health at work - Stop the silent talent drain

This one-hour interactive session will explore how people professionals can address the silent loss of talented women from the workplace by supporting wellness and retention at key career stages.

Delivered by Pam Williams, leadership coach and founder of The Thinking Harbour, and Niki Vardy, Director at Hays, the session will combine strategic insight, lived experience, and market intelligence to equip attendees with practical tools for action.

Agenda:

• Welcome and framing the issue
• The “silent drain”: health-related attrition and its impact
• Life stages and inclusion factors affecting retention
• Market signals and recruitment insights
• Group activity
• Shareback and practical next steps
• Close and informal networking

Learning outcomes:

• Understand factors affecting women’s workplace wellness which contribute to women’s attrition
• Gain practical ways to support women’s wellbeing and career progression
• Hear market insights from recruitment and HR leadership perspectives
• Leave with actions to test within your organisation

Timings

18:30-19:00 - Arrival, registration, refreshments and networking

19:00-20:00 - Presentation

20:00-20:30 - Informal networking

20:30 - Event ends

About the speakers

Pam Williams is a leadership coach, speaker and founder of The Thinking Harbour Ltd. With over 30 years’ experience in the People profession gained across technology, telco, computer games and life sciences, she has held senior roles including HR Director, L&OD Director and Chief People Officer. She has often been the as the only woman on Senior Leadership Teams.

Pam champions women’s workplace wellness, supporting returners and those navigating midcareer and beyond. She specialises in coaching People Professionals at all stages of their careers. Known for her energising, evidence‑informed workshops that blend strategic insight with lived experience, Pam helps HR professionals envision compassionate, inclusive cultures where people thrive and stay.

Niki Vardy is a Business Director at Hays and a renowned thought leader in HR recruitment across Surrey and North Hampshire. She is the creator of the highly acclaimed Human Leadership Series, known for redefining people first leadership in modern workplaces.

With over two decades of experience in specialist HR recruitment, Niki combines strategic insight with a deep understanding of human potential. Her Human Leadership Series has earned widespread recognition for spotlighting inclusive, emotionally intelligent leadership and driving meaningful change.

Please note:

1. This is a members only event.
2. Reminder emails will be sent to you the day before, with a further reminder on the day of the event.
3. Photography and video production may be taking place at the event, and these images may be used in the CIPD newsletters.
4. By attending the event, you are giving consent for your image to be used on any CIPD promotional materials.
5. As we are supplying refreshments, if you can no longer attend, please cancel your place either on Eventbrite, or by responding to the confirmation email.
6. This event may include an external speaker who has prepared their own presentation. Any views or opinions expressed by the speaker are their own and do not reflect those of the CIPD.
7. If you require any reasonable adjustments to enhance your experience, please get in contact with us by responding to this email and we will do our best to accommodate.

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Host or Publisher CIPD Surrey and North Hampshire Branch