An Evening with Suzanne Heywood

We are delighted to invite you to our next event organised by the Women's Network, 'An Evening with Suzanne Heywood: From a Decade at Sea to Oxford and Beyond'.

What does it take to lead with courage, adaptability and resilience in a world of uncertainty? Join us for an inspiring session with Suzanne Heywood, COO Exor who knows first-hand how to navigate uncharted waters—literally. Having sailed for a decade around the world as a child, facing numerous challenges, from a shipwreck to having to fight to return home and gain an education at Oxford, Suzanne learned early how to adapt, persevere, and thrive under pressure. These lessons shaped her increasingly successful career, where she mastered the art of turning setbacks into opportunities. In this session, we’ll explore what her extraordinary journey can teach us about resilient leadership, overcoming obstacles and building a future-proof mindset.

The event will run from 5:30pm - 6:30pm, followed by a drinks reception at 6:30pm.

Register here.

Please register your interest by 5pm on Tuesday 18 February 2025. If you have any questions about this event, please email women@sjc.ox.ac.uk. We hope that you will be able to join us.

Suzanne Heywood, Baroness Heywood of Whitehall, CBE, is a British Business Leader and an Author. She is chief operating officer of the Exor Group as well as the chair of CNH Industrial and of Iveco Group. Having sailed around the world with her family as a child for a decade, Suzanne studied at Somerville College, Oxford and King's College, Cambridge. Her early career was spent as a civil servant in HM Treasury. She then joined McKinsey & Company, where she rose to become a senior partner before leaving for Exor in 2016. She now also chairs several companies. In the 2024 Birthday Honours, Suzanne Heywood was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to business leadership.