Mary Ann is author of the bestselling book The Authority Gap: Why We Still Take Women Less Seriously Than Men, and What We Can Do About It. She is a Visiting Professor at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London Business School, as well as Senior Independent Director at Pantheon International and Non-Executive Director and RemCo Chair at Guardian Media Group. She is a former Lex Columnist at the FT, and Assistant Editor and political columnist at The Times. Mary Ann researched The Authority Gap as a Visiting Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. She has chaired the Social Market Foundation think tank and was Chair of the Judges for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022.

Steve is a business leader with over 35 years of experience in driving performance improvements across both private and public sectors. He has founded three successful consultancies, two of which were acquired, and spent twelve years as a partner at PwC following the second acquisition.

Throughout his career, Steve has focused on transforming businesses through process optimisation, technology implementation, and—perhaps most importantly—cultural change. He has worked with a diverse range of organisations, from Big Four firms to large US and European corporations, holding senior leadership roles in each.

Steve is known for building high-performing, diverse teams and has a proven track record as a coach and mentor to senior business leaders. Alongside Mary Ann, Steve co-founded the Authority Gap Consultancy, combining their complementary expertise to help businesses narrow their Authority Gaps and unlock their full potential.

Lou is an experienced facilitator and trainer, skilled at engaging audiences to tackle difficult subjects and achieve desirable outcomes. She has worked across many industries delivering organisational and behavioural change programmes. Lou has an MSc in Human Resources and is a qualified executive coach.

Upasna has over 15 years of experience fostering gender balance and inclusive leadership for global organisations. She has led and facilitated talent initiatives sponsored by organisations such as Google and the Government Equalities Office.

Upasna has extensive experience facilitating transformational learning online and in person with a range of participants from grassroots communities to board members and senior teams. She has a BA in Politics, and a Masters in International Security and Terrorism from the University of Nottingham and completed an Executive Programme in Gender Balance at Insead Business School.

Hannah is an experienced facilitator and communication coach. Originally trained as an actor, Hannah uses her performance background to enhance her work by bringing experiential learning techniques to her coaching and delivery. She has worked for a large variety of clients across both the private and public sectors, from middle management through to C-Suite, for over 20 years. She is also a qualified NLP practitioner.

Hannah continues to work as a professional actor in theatre, television and film and is a co-founder of award-winning theatre company, Simple8. She is a proud volunteer for the charity Scene and Heard.

Sam is an experienced General Counsel/Chief Legal Officer, having led legal teams for over 20 years in multinational businesses including Müller, PZ Cussons and Princes Foods. He now uses that experience to help develop the next generation of legal leaders and also writes and speaks regularly on the subject of gender.

Jen is a facilitator, learning designer, copywriter, storyteller, and branding consultant. Since gaining her first-class degree in English (the first in her family to go to university), Jen has developed a dynamic career focused on words and actions across many disciplines, including marketing and advertising, creative, professional services, education, human resources, training, and coaching. Language is her passion and plaything, and Jen uses it to touch hearts, change habits, and help people see things from a new point of view. She is fascinated by communications, emotions, messaging, and behaviours, and how they combine to make people tick.

Having lived in ten countries and worked in six, Audrey brings a deep understanding of multicultural dynamics and the agility to navigate complex environments. Since 2019, she has partnered with executives and leadership teams to elevate performance by enhancing communication impact, fostering cohesion, and driving sustainable results.

Her background spans finance, hospitality, FMCG, and corporate communications, complemented by advanced coaching credentials. Acting as a bridge between people, cultures, and ideas, she helps leaders and teams overcome barriers, build trust, and thrive.

Jonny has helped deliver global transformation workshops on behalf of the Big Four consultancies for over ten years. He also has extensive experience delivering projects and programmes across various sectors for a global IT corporation. He holds a BSc in Physics from Imperial College and is currently studying for an MA in Integrative Psychotherapy at The Minster Centre.

Ali has worked in training and development in France, Australia and the UK. With a relaxed facilitation style, she loves talking to people and gently helping them to achieve what they want. She designs content that makes sense, feels right and maybe even sometimes makes people smile. Her experience spans from tiny start-ups to huge professional services firms, tech engineers to solicitors, frontline staff to global tax accountants.

Fliss has 20 years’ experience of problem-solving and aligning different stakeholders on a global stage, with clients including several international governments, multinational telecommunications and energy companies, national bodies such as the NHS, as well as charitable NGOs.

Fliss is known for her good-humoured, no-nonsense approach whilst maintaining an infectious sense of warmth and fun. She holds a BSc in Anthropology from University College London and her background as a professional theatre actor enhances her skills in coaching presence, presentation, public speaking and influence.

Anne-Marie is a qualified executive coach and an experienced facilitator and trainer who is committed to enabling people to grow, succeed and perform at their best.She has a collaborative and empathetic approach and is skilled in facilitating sensitive conversations and engaging diverse stakeholder groups.Anne-Marie draws on experience gained in change and organisational development, helping people, teams and organisations navigate change, across a wide range of industries, organisations and cultures around the world. She has a background in finance and IT.