Women's Network Dinner - 10th Anniversary

Timings:

• 2pm-5.15pm: Workshop in the Garden Quad Auditorium (Women in Leadership in the Modern World: Career, Family and Socio-Political Challenges - detailed programme found below)

• 6.30pm: Drinks and networking in Canterbury Quad (weather-permitting)

• 7.15pm: Dinner in Hall, with guest speaker Robin Gorna, Health Adviser, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and first Chair of the SJC Women’s Network (1984, Theology)

Ticket Cost:

Workshop only: Free

Workshop with drinks and dinner: 

• £65 for Alumni
• £35 for Young Alumni (matriculated in 2016 or after)
• £20 for Current St John's Students

There is an option to bring a guest with you to this event.

The deadline to RSVP is 4 September 2026. If this event sells out, we will operate a waiting list on a first-come, first-served basis.

Register for your place here.

Photography
Please note there will be a photographer present and the workshop sessions will be recorded.

Accommodation
Unfortunately, due to renovations across College in September, we regret that we are only able to offer a limited number of single-occupancy student rooms for this event. The charge for a room is £60 per person, and includes breakfast in Hall the following morning. The rooms will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. 

​Should you wish to book a room, please email us at women@sjc.ox.ac.uk after you have booked your place at the dinner. Please be aware that we are unable to take bookings over the phone.

If College accommodation is unavailable, there are a number of alternative places to stay in Oxford. You can explore available options by visiting www.universityrooms.com.

Parking
We regret that we are not able to provide parking - please click here for information about parking in Oxford.

If you have any questions, please email women@sjc.ox.ac.uk.

Workshop:

Women in Leadership in the Modern World: Career, Family and Socio-Political Challenges 

• 2pm: Welcome from the SJC Women’s Network Chair, Dr Kate Molesworth

• 2pm-2.45pm: Women in the lead: in business, sport and the media, with Sue Day MBE, Director of Women’s Football and Para Football at The Football Association; Lauren Taylor, Senior journalist and news presenter for BBC, ITN, Sky and Al-Jazeera, and Cressida Hogg CBE, Chair of BAE, Senior Independent Director at the London Stock Exchange Group, and President and Chair of the CBI.

• 2.45pm-3.15pm: Crafting your career: lessons from a study of women’s leadership, with Professor Sue Dopson, Rhodes Trust Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Deputy Dean for People and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

• 3.15pm-3.45pm: Networking break

• 3.45pm-4.15pm: The modern balancing act: women navigating careers, leadership and family, with Dr Fiona Czerniawska, CEO Source Global Research , Business Fellow at the Department of Economics, University of Oxford, senior management consultant, author and commentator specialising in strategy and marketing; Dr Tamsyn Barton ex-Chief Commissioner for the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, ex-Director General for Operations at the European Investment Bank, Trustee of Save the Children, UK and the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex; and Hannah Gilbert, Director of Sustainability on Wider ESG Landscape at the British Business Bank.

• 4.15pm-5.15pm: Being a woman in an era of political backlash: Dame Angela Eagle MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, in Conversation with Professor Lady Sue Black, President of St John’s College.

About the Women's Network

The SJC Women's Network is here to bring together SJC women across the world and across generations, to promote equality of opportunity and women's deeper and wider participation in all aspects of life. The Network defines a woman as anyone who identifies wholly or partially as a woman and/or as transfeminine.

About the workshop speakers:

Dame Angela Eagle DBE MP (1980, Philosophy, Politics and Economics)

Dame Angela Eagle DBE MP, Honorary Fellow of St John’s College, has recently been appointed the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs under Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s new cabinet.

Prior to this, Angela was appointed Minister of State at both the Home Office (Security Minister) and the Cabinet Office on 12 June 2026 under Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership. She was previously Minister of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 6 September 2025 to 12 June 2026, and Minister of State (Minister for Border Security and Asylum) at the Home Office from 8 July 2024 to 6 September 2025.

Angela was first elected to Parliament in 1992, when she became the first ever Labour Member of Parliament for Wallasey. In her time as MP for Wallasey, Angela has served as a minister in several departments. Under Tony Blair, these included Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions; for Social Security and for Home Affairs. She also served as Opposition Whip under Tony Blair. In Gordon Brown’s government she served as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and Minister of State for Pensions and Ageing Society. In Ed Miliband’s shadow cabinet, she served as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. In 2011, she became Shadow Leader of the House. In 2015, she was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, a position she held until June 2016.

During her time as a backbencher, Angela has sat on the Treasury Select Committee and the Intelligence and Security Committee and held a number of positions within the Labour Party including membership of the National Executive Committee and Chair of the Equalities Committee.

Sue Day MBE (1991, Modern Languages – French and Spanish)

Sue Day is Director of Women’s Football and Para Football at The Football Association (England Football), where she is leading the long-term strategy for women’s football, as well as on UK’s bid for the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

A former England rugby captain and record try scorer, she won three Six Nations Grand Slams and two World Cup silver medals. She previously served as COO at the Rugby Football Union (England Rugby), leading strategy, people, finance, technology, venue, the women’s game and inclusion. Prior to that she was a Partner in KPMG UK’s Deal Advisory business.

Sue studied at St John’s from 1991-1995 and has an MA Hons in French and Spanish as well as Blues in Hockey, Cricket and Rugby.

Cressida Hogg CBE (1987, Philosophy, Politics and Economics)

Cressida has spent over 20 years in the investment industry and has experience of building and developing businesses both in the UK and globally. She has significant board experience and has a strong corporate background in infrastructure and private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and investment. Cressida was one of the co-founders of 3i Group’s infrastructure business in 2005, becoming Managing Partner in 2009, and she was also Global Head of Infrastructure at Canada Pension Plan Investment Board between 2014 and 2018.

In addition to her senior executive positions, Cressida has broad experience as a Non-executive Director in a variety of sectors. She was appointed as Non-executive Chair to the Board of BAE Systems in May 2023 and is the Senior Independent Director at the London Stock Exchange Group. Prior to becoming Chair of BAE Systems, Cressida was Chairman of Land Securities Group PLC, one of the UK’s largest commercial property development and investment companies, and has recently been appointed as President and Chair of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Cressida is also a Member of The Takeover Panel.

Dr Tamsyn Barton (1981, Literae Humaniores)

Tamsyn concluded her extended term as the Chief Commissioner for the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), which scrutinises UK aid spending and reports to Parliament, in July 2024. She has worked in a variety of roles in the UK and the EU, having served as the Director General for Operations outside the EU at the European Investment Bank, as the EIB’s representative on the Board of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and as the CEO of Bond, the umbrella body for UK-based international civil society organisations. She was previously a Senior Civil Servant at the Department for International Development, UK.

Tamsyn has been working in international development since 1993, following an academic career in ancient history at Cambridge which involved the publication of two books and several articles. She has served on the Boards of Plan UK, SOAS, University of London and Oxford University Humanities Division and currently is a Trustee of Save the Children UK, the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex and the Center for Global Development.

Lauren Taylor (1988, English Language and Literature)

Lauren Taylor is a freelance presenter, mainly on the BBC TV News channel, where she has anchored recent major news stories including the US/Iran war, the arrest of former Prince Andrew, and the conflict in Gaza.

She was a Senior News Presenter for Aljazeera until July 2023. One of the main anchors since the launch of the English channel in 2006, she spent three years broadcasting from Doha.

Lauren has presented special programmes from the field, including from Yemen, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Iraq and South Sudan. She anchored Aljazeera’s coverage of a number of big stories including the Gaza conflicts of 2008 and 2021, Norway mass killings, Japanese Tsunami, Arab Spring uprisings, Impeachment of Donald Trump, Brexit, the Fall of Afghanistan, the death of Queen Elizabeth II and Coronation of Charles III.

Lauren previously worked for Sky News as a freelance presenter and was staff at ITN (ITV News) for 13 years as a correspondent and presenter. She has moderated a number of conferences including for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Islamic Economic Forum.

She has an English degree from Oxford University (St John’s) and studied journalism at City University London. She grew up in France, is bilingual in French, and fluent in German and Italian. Lauren is a volunteer for Samaritans, a keen open water swimmer and runner. She is married and has a daughter.

Dr Fiona Czerniawska (1981, English Language and Literature)

Fiona is Chief Executive Officer Source Global Research. Fiona is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading commentators on the global consulting and professional services industry. A highly sought-after speaker renowned for her sharp insights and strategic acumen, she is a trusted adviser to global leadership teams and a regular contributor to major media publications.

Fiona founded Source in 2007, embedding precision, ambition, and integrity into the company from its conception. Her deep industry knowledge is built on nearly two decades as a management consultant, specialising in strategy and marketing—first at PwC, then as Head of Strategy for EY in the UK. She’s the author of a dozen books, including Business Consulting: A Guide to How it Works and How to Make it Work and Buying Professional Services, both of which were published by The Economist. She's also a business fellow at the Department of Economics, University of Oxford.

As leader of the company, Fiona uses her unparalleled insight of the professional services industry to hone our research agenda, delivering trusted advice to our clients and shaping the strategic direction of professional services firms around the globe.

Hannah Gilbert (1993, Arabic)

Hannah Gilbert, former Chair of the Women's Network Steering Group, is the Director of Sustainability on Wider ESG Landscape, British Business Bank, responsible for developing the Bank’s approach to sustainable finance, with a particular focus on equity investment.

Hannah’s works at the nexus of technology, innovation and impact. Starting her career in commercial roles in telecoms and technology, she has pursued a range of innovation, operational and strategy roles for organisations including ‘3’, HM Treasury, ShareAction and Phoenix Group as well as advising sustainability-focused start-ups.

Hannah has a MSc Economics, a Masters in Sustainable Tourism (Distinction) and an Executive MBA (Distinction) and CFA certificate Climate and Investing. She is passionate about governance and decision-making along the finance value chain to deliver better outcomes for all. Hannah is also an angel investor and qualified yoga teacher.

Professor Sue Dopson

Professor Sue Dopson is Rhodes Trust Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Deputy Dean for People and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and a Fellow of Green Templeton College. She holds degrees in Sociology at BSc, MSc, and MA (Oxon) level, and a PhD on the introduction of general management into the NHS.

Her research focuses on leadership, innovation, and organisational change across public and private sectors. She has led major studies on clinical effectiveness, evidence‑based medicine, the development of healthcare management capabilities, and evolving roles in the NHS workforce.

More recently she has examined women’s leadership and the experiences of minority academics. Her interests also span transformational change, networks, clinical leadership, innovation implementation, evidence‑based management, coaching practice, and women’s leadership.

She is deeply committed to teaching and executive education, contributing across undergraduate, postgraduate, MBA, EMBA, and executive programmes. Her teaching and coaching focus on leadership development, and as Chair of the School’s Coaching Committee she helps to shape an Oxford approach to coaching. She teaches on culture, change, leadership, decision making, motivation, teamwork, power, influence, and negotiation. She is also Academic Director for key programmes, including the Oxford Strategic Leader Programme, Women Transforming Leadership, and the Diploma in Organisational Leadership.