COUNTDOWN TO WED26
Leadership that Inspires Defence:
Empowering People, Enabling Impact and Accelerating Change at Every Level
Due to overwhelming demand, we have now closed ballot applications for WED26.
The final ballot will take place at the end of this week, and successful applicants will be notified shortly thereafter.
If you would still like to be considered, you may request to be placed on the waiting list by emailing: Natalie@womenempoweringdefence.com with your chosen Insight Zone preferences (see Agenda below).
Should a place become available, you will be contacted accordingly. Please note that any places offered via the waiting list will be held for 48 hours only.
Leadership that Inspires Defence
In an era defined by complexity, competition, and accelerating change, leadership across the Defence and national security enterprise must evolve to meet the moment.
#WED26 highlights the leaders and leadership approaches shaping a more agile, integrated, and resilient national security community, those who inspire, empower, and deliver across agencies, sectors, and operational environments.
Empowering People, Enabling Impact and Accelerating Change at Every Level
This year’s theme reinforces the central role of people as the foundation of national security capability. It recognises that leadership is not limited to rank, role, or uniform, but is exercised across domains, functions, institutions, and partnerships. Building a future-ready security enterprise requires leadership that drives cultural reform, operational excellence, and collaborative innovation, from strategic policy settings to all operational front lines.
#WED26 invites leaders from across Defence, intelligence, policing, emergency management, public service, industry, and the broader community to engage in meaningful dialogue on how we lead through uncertainty, align purpose with outcomes, and accelerate progress through empowered people.
Agenda
- 07.45 – 08.45 Registration & Welcome Refreshments
- 09.00 – 09.05 Welcome Address
- 09.05 – 09.15 Compere Introduction
- 09.15 – 09.45 Leadership Session 1
The Many Faces of Leadership
The uniform. The command voice. The medals. These are the symbols of defence leadership we all know.
But the world is changing, and the leaders who will succeed tomorrow may look nothing like the ones we expect today.
- 09.55 – 10.25 Insight Zone 1
The Burnout Reset: Leading with Clarity, Confidence & Resilience
Burnout is a growing challenge in high-pressure workplaces, impacting performance, wellbeing, and team cohesion. In this 30-minute session, we explore how burnout shows up in individuals and teams, highlighting both its hidden signs and common triggers. Drawing on real-world experience and practical insights, they will discuss strategies for prevention, resilience, and recovery, offering actionable ways to support colleagues and maintain personal wellbeing. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of burnout, tools to address it proactively, and inspiration to create healthier, more sustainable workplace cultures.
- 09.55 – 10.25 Insight Zone 2
Leading with Calm and Conviction: Inclusive Leadership in a Complex World
In today’s fast-paced and complex world, effective leadership requires more than strategy — it demands resilience, clarity, and the ability to turn challenges into opportunities. This session empowers leaders to navigate uncertainty with confidence, make decisive choices under pressure, and inspire high-performing, diverse teams. Participants will gain actionable insights on fostering inclusion, creating clear development pathways, and cultivating a culture of trust and accountability, leaving equipped to transform disruption into mission-focused success.
- 10.25 – 10.50 Morning Break
- 11.00 – 11.30 Insight Zone 3
Leadership Without the Title: How Influence Shapes the Sector
Leadership is not about a title or a corner office, it is about influence. This panel reveals how anyone in Defence, Government and National Security can drive change, inspire others, and create meaningful impact. Participants will gain practical strategies to lead with confidence, amplify their voice, and harness their personal power to effect real change, proving that true leadership comes from action, not rank.
- 11.00 – 11.30 Insight Zone 4
Unapologetically Disobedient: Leading in the Hard Rooms
This session offers a candid exploration of leadership in practice. Our speaker will share real-world experiences navigating complex, high-stakes environments where hierarchy, competing priorities, and organisational politics shape decision-making. Attendees will gain insights into fostering growth in others, speaking up in challenging situations, and driving meaningful change even when voices aren’t always welcomed. This is leadership beyond theory, rooted in experience, resilience, and principled action
- 11.40 – 12.10 Insight Zone 5
Empower to Excel; Developing the Next Generation of Leaders
Explore how Defence organisations can intentionally cultivate the next generation of leaders through purposeful mentorship, focused professional development, and genuinely inclusive leadership pathways. This panel will reveal practical, real-world strategies for equipping early-career professionals to navigate complexity, embrace leadership with confidence, and excel in challenging environments. Learn how to ensure diverse talent is not only visible but empowered to lead, influence, and shape the future of the sector with lasting impact.
- 11.40 – 12.10 Insight Zone 6
Emerging Talent in Defence: Breaking Barriers, Building futures
This session will explore how we can give young people the confidence, skills, and opportunities to thrive in the world of work, and tackle the barriers that too often block talent from entering Government and Defence. Experts in digital skills and youth engagement will share insights on the challenges and the inertia that limit opportunities for the next generation. The discussion will focus on barriers related to gender, socio-economic background, ethnicity, and neurodiversity, and explore how we can work collectively to create clearer, more inclusive pathways into the sector.
- 12.20 – 12.50 Insight Zone 7
Workplace Bullying, Trauma and Stress: Beyond Resilience and Endurance
This session explores ways to reclaim personal power and agency in the face of workplace bullying, trauma, and chronic stress. Drawing on frontline experience in Afghanistan and lived experience of bullying and sexual assault, it examines how trauma, stress, and leadership decisions collide—and how silence or unchallenged behaviour can escalate harm. Real-world examples reveal how unconscious assumptions shape our responses and resilience, offering practical strategies to foster accountability, recovery, and healing.
- 12.20 – 12.50 Insight Zone 8
Unlocking Analytical Capability: Building a Continuous Development Culture
Join a panel of analysts as they explore the importance of early-stage career development, ongoing mentoring, and continuous training in building confidence and intellectual credibility in analytical roles. The discussion will also highlight approaches used to support the growth and development of global teams.
- 12.50 – 13.45 Lunch
- 13.45 – 14.15 Leadership Session 2
When Charm Turns Toxic: Leadership’s Hidden Risks
Charisma is often celebrated as a hallmark of great leadership, but what happens when influence crosses the line into manipulation? This panel brings together leaders and experts to explore the hidden risks of charismatic leadership, its impact on teams and organisational culture, and practical strategies to recognise and address it. Attendees will gain insight into protecting themselves and their teams, fostering ethical influence, and ensuring leadership inspires rather than controls.
- 14.20 – 15.00 Leadership Session 3
From Endurance to Impact: The Leadership Shift Needed Now
In a world under constant pressure, leadership endurance alone is no longer enough to deliver the impact and pace of change required. This keynote explores the leadership shift from simply holding it together to empowering people, enabling impact, and accelerating change at every level.
Through real leadership stories and practical coaching insight, this keynote challenges the idea that strong leaders must carry more, for longer. Instead, it offers a grounded, human approach to leadership that creates clarity, trust, and ownership, enabling leaders to empower their people without losing accountability or control.
Attendees will leave with a fresh perspective on leadership impact and a clear, practical reframe they can apply immediately to empower others, enable better decisions, and accelerate meaningful change across their teams and organisations.
- 15.00 – 15.30 Break
- 15.30 – 16.00 Leadership Session 4
Purpose & Performance: Lessons from the Frontline
In this powerful and deeply personal session, we explore the realities of high-pressure decision-making, leading under intense scrutiny, and maintaining integrity when everything is at stake. With honesty and insight, the session examines adversity, resilience, and what leadership in extreme environments can teach us about accountability, courage, and mental strength in everyday life.
- 16.05 – 16.50 Leadership Session 5
Leading From Within: Building Confident Leaders Who Strengthen Defence From the Inside Out. “Do you know you’re amazing”
In high-stakes defence environments, strategy and structure matter, but leadership mindset is the true force multiplier.
In this powerful session we will explore how self-confidence, ownership and psychological safety create the foundation for operational excellence and sustainable change. Drawing on elite performance principles and leadership psychology, attendees will be shown how empowering individuals at every level unlocks initiative, accelerates decision-making and drives meaningful impact across the organisation. Sharing practical tools to build self-belief, cultivate resilient teams, and create environments where people are trusted to lead, not just follow. This session challenges leaders to move beyond authority and into influence, building a culture where empowered people deliver extraordinary results.
- 16.50 – 17.00 Closing Remarks
Why #WED26 Is Unmissable
- Be inspired by keynote speakers mapping the path ahead for defence leadership
- Harvest practical insights from a diverse tapestry of voices and real-world experiences across the sector
- Forge fresh alliances and widen your professional network across disciplines
- Uncover forward-thinking ideas and translate them into strategic impact in your role
- Accelerate leadership growth with hands-on tools, proven frameworks, and actionable knowledge
- Gain visibility for your ideas, expertise, and leadership potential
- Engage in honest, high-impact conversations shaping the future of defence
- Be part of a community driving meaningful, lasting change across the sector
- Challenge assumptions and expand your perspective through lived experience
- Strengthen your influence and confidence as a leader, whatever stage you’re at
- Learn how inclusive leadership directly improves capability, resilience, and performance
- Leave energised, motivated, and equipped to make an immediate difference
Diamond Partner:
