This change is achieved by dressing and coaching unemployed women for their job interviews, harnessing the power of high-quality clothing and one-to-one coaching to reconnect women with their potential. This targeted solution has a profound and positive impact: 69% get the job within a month, starting a new chapter of purpose and economic independence for themselves and their families.
The Smart Works service is delivered in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Newcastle, Reading and Leeds. Over the past ten years, Smart Works has helped over 32,000 women.
The aftermath of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis means the value of employment has never been more crucial, nor the Smart Works service more needed. In April 2022, the charity launched an ambitious three-year strategy to double the number of women it helps annually from 5,000 to 10,000 women a year. This includes growing the reach of its existing centres and bringing the service to areas of need including Liverpool, Sheffield, and Cardiff.
In 2022, mum of three Rekha felt demoralised and desperate.
Rekha had a first-class degree in finance, but after taking time out to look after her children, there was a gap on her CV that she struggled to explain. She had applied for hundreds of jobs and was shortlisted 10 times but could not seem to get past the final interview. After yet another knock back a recruitment consultant suggested she reach out to Smart Works. Rekha is now working as an accounts payable clerk and is saving for a deposit towards her first home.
“When I started looking for work, I kept on getting shortlisted but I didn’t know what I was lacking. No one could tell me what my weakness was. Always it felt like I had something missing. I was losing my hope, my confidence both physically and mentally. Having a job meant that things would not be so difficult for us financially. I wanted to build the best life for my children.
When I came to Smart Works they were so friendly. They set me up with a mock interview and it was the first time I got constructive feedback. The woman who did that interview gave me everything I needed to succeed at interview.
Then I went to meet the dressers and they made me feel so special. We picked out a beautiful dress and it is now my lucky dress because I wore it to the next interview I was shortlisted for and I got the job! Now anytime I need luck or it is a special occasion I wear that dress.
I came back for my second dressing with Smart Works after I got the job and chose another five dresses. Every week I wear these to work. When I put on one of these dresses on a Monday, it reminds me of how far I have come. It reinforces for me that I can be a confident working mum, who is making things better for all my children.
We are now saving to buy our own house because for the first time in a long time we are financially stable. Throughout my search my daughter was such a big motivator for me to try and make things better. She has seen what I have gone through and now she tells me she wants to work in finance or business. I have big dreams for her and they wouldn’t have been possible without Smart Works.”
WeAreTheCity are grateful to have had a partnership of support for Smart Works for the past seven years. Smart Works will also be the charity partner for our 2024 Rising Star awards, we are excited for them to join us as we celebrate 10 years of Rising Stars.
There are lots of opportunities to support Smart Works, please do visit their website, volunteer or suggest them to your companies as your charity of the year.
February
20feb12:0012:45Creating a menopause-friendly workplace | Free lunch & learn with Menospace
20/02/2025 12:00 - 12:45(GMT+00:00)
This free Lunch & Learn event is designed to provide an introduction to supporting menopause at
It’s a great opportunity to learn how small changes can make a big difference.
Hosted by Haley White, Founder of Menospace, this session will cover key topics such as understanding the impact of menopause in the workplace, recognising common symptoms, and exploring practical strategies for fostering a menopause-friendly environment. Attendees will gain actionable advice on how to implement policies, open conversations, and ensure that those experiencing menopause feel heard, valued, and supported in their professional roles.
This informative and engaging session will take place on Thursday 20th February 2025, from 12.00pm to 12.45pm via Zoom, making it accessible for professionals across different locations. The 45-minute session is structured to fit conveniently within the workday, allowing participants to join during lunch and walk away with key takeaways that they can apply immediately in their workplace, helping to drive meaningful change.
By attending this session, participants will better understand why menopause awareness is crucial, how to implement small but impactful changes in the workplace, and how organisations can create an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing menopause-related challenges, leading to improved wellbeing and productivity.
Whether you’re a business leader, HR professional, line manager, or employee interested in learning more, this session is an excellent opportunity to gain practical knowledge and be part of the movement towards greater workplace inclusivity and better support for menopausal employees.
Join the conversation, learn from an expert, and take the first step towards making your workplace menopause-friendly and empowering your team!
25feb09:0017:30International Women's Day Conference & Exhibition 2025 | ThinkFest IWD
25/02/2025 09:00 - 17:30(GMT+00:00)
Millennium Point - Birmingham
Curzon Street, Birmingham, B4 7XG
Join us for a kick-ass International Women’s Day Conference & Exhibition, celebrating and empowering women from all walks of life! International Women’s
Join us for an inspiring and empowering event celebrating women’s achievements and promoting gender equality. The International Women’s Day Conference & Exhibition will take place at Millennium Point – Birmingham. This in-person event brings together influential speakers, thought-provoking discussions, and a vibrant exhibition showcasing the talents of women from various fields. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and be inspired by remarkable women from around the world. Come and be part of this incredible celebration of women’s accomplishments and the journey towards a more inclusive society.
The Event is split in two, a ticketed Conference and a free to attend Expo.
FREE TO ATTEND EXPO – This part of the event will feature a number of exhibition stands as well as seminar stage delivering content to individuals, small businesses and young females. This is completely free to attend and we have content running throughout the day.
For more for more information about all of the sessions we are running, please take a look at our website. www.IWDExpo.com
We look forward to welcoming you all there, don’t forget it’s not just for women, we need more men in the room to create a greater alliance for gender parity.
10:00 AM Welcome & Introduction
10:30 AM Motivational Networking
11:00 AM How to Start and Scale Your Business
11:30 AM The Magic of Writing Your Book
12:00 PM Funding Females
12:30 PM Mental Health & Wellbeing
1:00 PM Women In STEM
2:00 PM Women in Media
3:00 PM Empowering Girls for Career Success
4:00 PM Building Your Personal Brand
4:40 PM Monetise your Passion
5:10 PM Finish
PAID TICKET CONFERENCE – The content delivered at the conference will be targeted towards senior leaders across business and corporate as well as third-sector organisations. We will be exploring a range of different topics, looking at key issues that women face and what we can do to improve the experience for women in the workplace. A key part of the conference will focus on how we increase the number of male allies for females and have a dedicated panel of speakers discussing this. To top it all off we will be hearing from fashion entrepreneur Karen Millen OBE, founder of Karen Millen.
25feb10:3011:30The FTSE Women Leaders Review | Report Launch Tuesday 25 February 2025
25/02/2025 10:30 - 11:30(GMT+00:00)
We are delighted to extend to you a special invitation to the live broadcast launch of the FTSE Women Leaders Review report on Tuesday 25 February 2025 from
The FTSE Women Leaders Review has made remarkable strides, with the FTSE 350 achieving over 40% women’s representation on boards ahead of the target. However, our work is far from complete. Achieving gender balance and diversity on boards and leadership teams has never been more crucial to harness the wealth of experience, expertise and skills essential for business to navigate complex issues successfully.
With just one year remaining to reach our recommendations, realising genuine equality and enabling further progress will require a united commitment from us all to achieve the 40% women in leadership target and to drive more appointments of women into the ‘four key roles’; the Chair, Senior Independent Director, CEO and Finance Director.
We therefore warmly invite you to join us for the 2024 report launch, where we will share new and exclusive findings on the progress made in achieving gender balance during the year. We are delighted that the Secretary of State for the Department of Business & Trade and the Minister for Women & Equalities will be sharing their support for the Review, and we are excited to host a panel of distinguished guests who will share insights on how they are accelerating progress.
Our panellists include:
– Allison Kirkby, CEO BT Group Plc
– Lee Chambers, Business Psychologist, Speaker, Author
– Yetunde Hofmann, Non-Executive Director Cranswick Plc
– Mary Ann Sieghart, Author of ‘The Authority Gap’
Please confirm your attendance at this virtual event by completing this registration form. If you encounter any difficulties during the registration process, our team is available to assist you at [email protected]
This year, our event will be exclusively a live broadcast, and so we encourage you to share this invitation with your network.
27feb08:3014:00Clarity Connect International Women's Day Conference | Clarity Leadership Ltd
27/02/2025 08:30 - 14:00(GMT+00:00)
Bloomsbury Ballroom
Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1B 4DA
Ahead of IWD2025, please join Clarity Leadership as we hear from leaders and generate discussion around the key themes of gender equality. Ahead of International Women’s Day
Ahead of International Women’s Day 2025, please join Clarity Leadership as we invite you to join us for an open and inclusive morning of presentations and lively debate. To follow the IWD 2025 theme, #AcclerateAction, the speakers will be generating discussion and debate around female leadership, gender equality and the creation of an inclusive and more gender-equal world.
We will be joined by two exceptional leaders, Lee Chambers, Founding Director of Male Allies UK, and Riham Satti, Co-Founder and CEO of MeVitae, Creating Fairness in the Workplace. They will share their experiences, challenges, and the obstacles they’ve overcome in their efforts to create a more equal world.
We also invite you to hear research, experiences, and views from a group of leaders who identify as women from several leading organisations, including Pfizer, Microsoft, Vodafone, Reckitt, and Bayer. The speakers join us from all over the world and around the UK, providing a global perspective on their discussions. This is the culmination of six months’ work by 16 leaders who identify as women, who have been through our Women in Leadership Programme. The final part of their journey has been the design and delivery of this event.
This is an event for everyone and we look forward to welcoming you!
Free
27/02/2025 12:30 - 13:30(GMT+00:00)
We are delighted to be joined by Laura Bates, Best-selling Author, Keynote Speaker and Founder of the Everyday Sexism Project.
Laura will be setting out the existing and potential ways in which emerging technologies can have unintended negative impacts on women and marginalised groups, both in and outside the workplace. From the metaverse and deepfake technology to AI and adult robots, these technologies are fast becoming the building blocks of our future societies, so it is vital that we understand the risks and act now to prevent them from reinventing existing forms of inequality in our brave new world.
Laura Bates is a best-selling author, keynote speaker and founder of the Everyday Sexism Project. Her books include Everyday Sexism, Girl Up and Fix the System, Not the Women. Laura writes regularly for the New York Times, Guardian and others, and is a frequent media commentator and consultant for TV productions tackling issues around gender inequality.
She works closely with government, schools, businesses, police forces and bodies from the United Nations to the Council of Europe on sexism and inequality.
In recognition of Laura’s work surrounding sexism and gender inequality, she was awarded a British Empire Medal in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours List and has been named Woman of the Year by Cosmopolitan, Red Magazine and The Sunday Times Magazine. She is also an Honorary Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Please note, this event will be hosted as a Teams Town hall. Please register your place on Eventbrite and we will share the Teams meeting link.
We look forward to seeing you!
free
27feb18:0020:30Planning and Goals Workshop | WeAreTheCity
27/02/2025 18:00 - 20:30(GMT+00:00)
Nomura
1 Angel Lane, London, EC4R 3AB
Join Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE to discover why and how to create your career strategy and plan in order to
This interactive session is aimed at injecting the “va va voom” back into your career.
Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE, CEO of WeAreTheCity, will share why leaving your career solely in the hands of your line manager is no longer enough. Vanessa will provide insights on how to take charge of your career, create a strategic plan, and actively seek opportunities to propel your professional growth.
The workshop focuses on why and how to create a career strategy and plan, to unlock your potential and path to success. This session is not about theory, science or blue sky thinking, it is about a realistic look at what you want to achieve and actions to take in order to get where you want to go!
Session includes:
By the end of this session, participants will have the foundation of a career plan they can continue to develop and implement throughout 2025.
We will close the evening with networking and drinks/canapés.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Please note that on arrival at Nomura guests will be asked to provide photographic ID, a passport or driving licence.