Women Leading the Way
Thursday 4th July 2.30pm - Lady Chapel, Llandaff Cathedral - Free (ticketed)
We will be joined by the following fantastic influential individuals and speakers from various industries & sectors inlcuding STEM, business and the arts to tell their stories & discuss the impact of investing in women.
Professor Haley Gomez MBE
Haley Gomez is Head of School, Physics and Astronomy. She works on using the most sensitive infrared cameras in space to reveal the origins of the building blocks of life - cosmic dust grains – and has published over 85 papers in the last 10 years. Her research has been recognized with an award from the Royal Astronomical Society for noteworthy contribution for an early career researcher. In 2015 she was also awarded a prestigious and highly competitive grant worth €1.8 million to measure the dust content of galaxies since the Big Bang. Throughout her career, she has also taken a leading role in bringing research to the public and, in particular, encouraging girls and children from disadvantaged backgrounds. She received an Inspire Wales Award in 2014 for most inspirational person in the Science and Technology Category for this work.
Rhian Mannings MBE
In February 2012, tragedy struck Rhian’s family when he son, George died suddenly with no sign of illness. Just days later Paul, her husband and the Daddy to her three children, took his own life traumatised by the loss of their son. Motivated by a desire to ensure others would not have the same devastating experience after losing a child suddenly in hospital, Rhian set up the child bereavement charity ‘2wish’. To date the charity has raised over £1,800,000 exclusively from small public donations and local fundraising and 2wish is now an All Wales organisation helping hundreds of families every year who experience sudden and traumatic loss.
Rhian is also very passionate about mental health and regularly speaks about her own struggles since losing her boys. She took part in a BBC documentary in 2017 ‘Mind Over Marathon’ raising awareness of mental health and speaks out about mental health in men and following sudden bereavement.
Elizabeth Rees
Elizabeth a local Cardiff designer and the founder of ElizaEliza, a purpose-driven, sustainably conscious fashion brand, devoted to enabling you to ignite conversations on the causes dear to your heart. Founded in 2016, she developed ElizaEliza’s mission to support and empower you in making meaningful connections with the issues that hold significance in your life.
Recognising the power to make a difference, ELizaELiza began partnering with charities, starting with Unseen UK in Spring 2017. Subsequently, they launched our acclaimed V Collection with The Eve Appeal and The B Collection supporting CoppaFeel, amplifying important causes while inspiring conversations.
Emma Waddingham
Our Panel Host is Emma Waddingham. She is the Editor & Founder of Legal News Wales and is a seasoned legal editor and journalist focused almost exclusively on the legal sector of England and Wales.
She founded legalnewswales.com - a unique media platform for the legal sector in Wales in March 2020 - to elevate and showcase the legal sector in Wales and to build resilience in the business of law. She has a passion for driving equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives that help support and reflect the communities served by lawyers and professional services.
Emma was dubbed the ‘glue that holds the legal sector in Wales together’ by the Counsel General of Wales and Minister for the Constitution, Mick Antoniw MS, in a speech given at the Legal Wales Conference 2023. Emma also has a long-established, award-winning portfolio of marketing and business development experience, having worked with a range of national and regional clients in the legal, property and financial advice sectors.
A collection will be taken at the end on behalf of Women’s Aid Wales.
To avoid disappointment please book your free ticket in advance.