This event will be held in person and streamed online. Please select the correct ticket type below:

• Register for in-person tickets
• Register for online tickets

Join us as we launch new research by Florence Sesay, Executive Director of Media Matters for Women and a Changemaker at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL), part of King's Business School.

Across Sierra Leone, women are leading change in their communities - organising, building alliances, and using creative media to challenge inequality and shift public attitudes. But the strategies and leadership of grassroots women’s movements are still too often overlooked in global conversations.

Drawing on over 20 years of experience in broadcast journalism and women’s rights advocacy, Florence’s research explores how local women activists build alliances, influence discourse, and make feminist agendas more visible and credible through creative media.

The discussion will highlight what it takes to build sustainable, high-impact women’s movements, and why investing in grassroots leadership is essential for lasting change.

This event is part of GIWL’s Changemakers Programme, a year-long initiative that supports grassroots gender equality advocates to undertake research grounded in their work and communities, bridging the gap between academic insight and real-world change. This event will explore what it takes to build powerful, sustainable women’s movements - and why investing in grassroots leadership and voice is essential to lasting social change.

Speakers

• The Hon. Julia Gillard AC – Former Prime Minister of Australia; Chair of The Global institute for Women's Leadership
• Florence Sesay – Executive Director, Media Matters for Women; Social Changemaker
• Katharina Samara-Wickrama – Co-Founder and Director of Programmes, Helia Collaborative; Former Director of the Issues Affecting Women Programme, Oak Foundation

A short reception will follow the panel.

Agenda

18:00-18:30: Arrival and registration

18:30-19:00: Welcome and introduction presentation from Florence Sesay, Executive Director of Media Matters for Women and a Changemaker at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership.

19:00-20:00: Panel discussion and Q&A

20:00- 21:30: Networking and drinks reception

Register now to join this powerful conversation about grassroots leadership, voice, and movement-building.

This research is part of the Changemakers Programme, fully funded by the Oak Foundation.