International Women’s Day panel to discuss whether Suffolk women have smashed the glass ceiling

The University of Suffolk is bringing together senior leaders in the county for an International Women’s Day panel to discuss whether organisations and businesses are doing enough to enable women to lead.

Spotlight Suffolk: Have women smashed the glass ceiling? Are organisations doing enough to enable women to lead?  will be chaired by Chief Constable Rachel Kearton and takes place on Wednesday 4 March in the Waterfront Building in Ipswich. 

Panellists include: 

• Professor Jenny Higham, Vice-Chancellor of the University 

• Judi Newman, Chief Executive of St Elizabeth Hospice 

• Pauline Essah, CEO of Essa, an organisation dedicated to high-quality education in sub-Saharan Africa 

• Honor Pollok, Founder and CEO of executive search agency Kynigos Partners 

University of Suffolk Vice-Chancellor Professor Jenny Higham said: “It is really encouraging to see how many of the county’s business and public sector organisations are being led by women – but there is still more to do to ensure all women have an equal chance of career success. 

“We are looking forward to a lively and thought-provoking discussion on women as leaders.” 

The University’s popular Spotlight Suffolk events cover topics that matter to communities in the county. Previous events have covered sustainability, crime and safety, AI and whether Ipswich should bid for city status. 

The Spotlight Suffolk event is a public event starting at 6.00pm (doors open 5.30pm). Attendance is free, but tickets must be booked in advance at: https://www.uos.ac.uk/about/events/2026/spotlight-suffolk-have-women-smashed-the-glass-ceiling-/  

 The University of Suffolk runs a programme of events and lectures and upcoming free events at include an Open Lecture, A History of Refugees in Suffolk by Martin Simmonds from Suffolk Refugee support, introduced by the charity’s patron Sir Nick Young on Thursday 12 February. 

 See the University’s events programme at: www.uos.ac.uk/about/events or contact eventsandconferencing@uos.ac.uk for more information.