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The Lectures

Lectures and debates – raising awareness and finding the answers.

Our alumni of extraordinary women, allows us to bring together not only representative groups of people, but exceptional minds and visionary individuals – this combination is both unique and powerful.

In February 2008, our vision to build a programme of annual lectures/debates was fulfilled. Women of the Year held their Inaugural Lecture which was given by Mrs Mary Robinson the first woman President of Ireland, more recently the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and current President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalisation Initiative. In the lecture Mrs Robinson provided her perspective on New Ideas in Women’s Leadership. She highlighted a new method that women are currently developing and embracing called Collective Leadership. Ultimately she hopes to create awareness about this concept among women from all walks of life, to inspire and build confidence to embrace this method in the future.

In April 2009, Baroness Susan Greenfield, scientist, debated the question “The Future of the Brain in the 21st Century”, which centred on the quest for identity in the new technological age. She asked the question as to how the new and sophisticated technologies affect us and our families.

In April 2010, The Rt Hon Tessa Jowell led a lively debate after addressing the Alumni on ‘What will the Olympics really do for us?’ and the legacy it will leave for future generations March 2011, the world-class scientist Professor Nava Dekel of the Weizmann Institute in Israel, an expert on fertility and women’s reproduction presented her latest research which has led to an amazing breakthrough, improving the success of implantation of embryos in IVF treatment. She also addressed the serendipity of discovery, the ethical issues of scientific research and the social pressures on women, even today, to reproduce. Professor Robert Winston joined her on the panel following the Lecture.