Mary Ann Sieghart 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 seasoned entrepreneur and 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 Big Four partners and other 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.

Will Dawkins is former head of the UK board and CEO practice of Spencer Stuart,  the international executive search, board and leadership consulting firm. Previously, he was publishing editor of the Financial Times, following a career as a foreign correspondent in Brussels, Paris and Tokyo. Currently, he holds a number of non-executive positions including with the Evelyn Trust, a Cambridge based medical research grant giving charity; the Fitzwilliam Museum and with the Perse School.

Tracey Gray served as Chief People Officer for Ascential PLC from June 2020 for four years and was recruited to lead on all global separation and people activities for a strategic change program that saw the business split into three separate entities. Prior to this role, she ran her own boutique consulting business working with C Suite Executives providing coaching, leadership development and transition support. She has over 30 years’ experience in Human Resources, leading on organisational change programmes, integrations of mergers and acquisitions and working to build healthy and inclusive growth cultures. Tracey has an MSc in Organizational Consulting from Hult International Business School (Ashridge Executive Education).

Robert has spent 40 years as a consultant and now trains and coaches business executives to help them develop their inclusive leadership skills. He is a Board member of European Women on Boards and a Trustee of UN Women, UK. Robert is Disrupter in Residence on the Global MBA Program at EDHEC Business School and also a visiting lecturer on Male Allyship at the University of Amsterdam Academy. In recognition of his work in gender balance, Robert was named a Top 50 Trailblazer in Gender Equity in January 2023 by We Are The City and was awarded Corporate Male Champion of the Year 2024 by Women in Management.

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 DEI and 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.