Over 550 business leaders gathered at Belfast’s Crowne Plaza Hotel for the Institute of Directors Northern Ireland’s Women’s Leadership conference and to celebrate International Women’s Day recently.
The annual event was once again delivered to a sold-out audience and hosted by The Positive Economist, Susan Hayes Culleton. Former winner of The Voice and county Tyrone native, Andrea Begley, formally kicked off proceedings with some of her greatest hits.
Keynote addresses were given by renowned financier, Baroness Helena Morrissey DBE, BBC broadcaster and disability activist, Lucy Edwards, and Jill Gallard, CMG CVO, the former British ambassador to Germany.
Each speaker gave a powerful testimony about their own experiences with leadership across the worlds of finance, politics and media, inspiring those in the audience with how they have overcome personal and professional challenges and risen to the top of their respective fields.
Broadcaster and activist Lucy Edwards (left) interviewed by Susan Hayes Culleton at the 2025 IoD NI Women’s Leadership Conference
There was also a short video message of support from First Minister, Michelle O’Neill MLA and deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly MLA, perhaps the most evident example of female leadership in Northern Ireland.
This year’s conference also saw the return of the popular onstage business pitch competition where four brave entrepreneurs vied for the opportunity to win £4,000. Audience members voted Pauline Timoney, Co-founder of RoutineRoo as the overall winner of the Pitch Perfect competition, impressed by her slick delivery and passion for her product.
RoutineRoo creates storyboards and avatars to help children deal with their routines and make things like bedtime or leaving the house in the morning more relatable and enjoyable. Both Pauline and her co-founder Kristina, come from a tech background and intend to use this funding to develop the next phase of their product, which will target children and young people with additional needs.
Kirsty McManus, National Director of the IoD in NI paid tribute to each of the finalists, the speakers and everyone who contributed so fulsomely to make this year’s event a success.
“2025 marks the 18th year of the Women’s Leadership Conference and I can think of no better way to celebrate International Women’s Day. To have created such an engaged and enthused network of female business leaders is not something we take for granted and it’s a huge honour to deliver this event year on year.
“Thanks to the support of our sponsors, particularly the team at Herbert Smith Freehills, this conference grows from strength to strength and I for one felt inspired by each and every woman who courageously shared her story with us on stage.
“Our aim at the IoD is to continue to empower female leaders, we want to see more woman occupy positions of leadership in Northern Ireland and smash the glass ceiling once and for all. That’s why we have a full range of training and programmes available to women and are looking forward to supporting more women on their leadership journey.”
Sponsors of this year’s event included Danske Bank, Cathedral Eye Clinic, Henry Brothers, SONI, KPMG, NIE and Translink. Once again, Herbert Smith Freehills returned as the principal sponsor.
Kirsty McManus, Regional Director of the IoD NI, welcomes delegates to the 2025 Women’s Leadership Conference
Lisa McLaughlin, Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills, said it was a timely reminder of why it was more important than ever to promote inclusivity and diversity within the workplace.
“At Herbert Smith Freehills we have always believed that promoting diversity better equips our teams for the world in which we operate. Attending today’s conference and hearing so many trailblazing women from a range of different backgrounds detail how they’ve achieved their goals was a timely reminder to continue with this mission.
“Thanks to the IoD for delivering this fantastic event and to all the speakers and delegates who contributed to the day’s success.”
Other highlights of the day included a local leaders panel session and a charity prize draw which raised money for The Community Foundation Northern Ireland.
The 2026 Women’s Leadership Conference will take place on 6 March 2026 and all details will be published on the IoD NI’s website.
Pictured, main image: Fiona Emmett, Vice President Global Growth, Kimberly-Clark; Belinda Brown, CFO Sephora UK; Elaine Atkinson, Senior Talent Acquisition Leader, Kainos; Dorinnia Carville, Comptroller and Auditor General, Northern Ireland Audit Office. Also pictured is Susan Hayes Culleton (right) who hosted the event.
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