This event will be held online only.

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Join the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL), part of King's Business School and Parenting Out Loud for a special session on remote and flexible working and what this means for fathers, workplaces, and gender equality.

This event will also mark the launch of a new GIWL report on remote working and fatherhood. The research explores how flexible working is experienced in practice, the barriers fathers face when trying to take it up, and what this means for more equal caregiving.

This interactive event brings together policymakers, employers, researchers and fathers to explore the realities of modern parenting. We will look at how working from home and flexible working shape everyday life, and what needs to change in policy and practice to support families.

You will hear the latest research findings, take part in a live demonstration activity, and join an open discussion on how workplaces can support fathers to take up flexible working.

A panel of speakers from policy, industry and lived experience will respond to the findings and explore the wider implications for parental leave and gender equality.

 

Agenda

18:30 – 18:35: Welcome and introduction from Professor Heejung Chung

18:35 - 19:00: Presentation from Shiyu Yuan, Research Associate, King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership

19:00 – 20:00: Panel discussion with Elliot Rae, Alex Trippier, Dr Philip Bonhard and Sarah Russell MP

20:00 – 20:30: Q&A

 

Panel and Speakers

Shiyu Yuan – Research Associate, King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership

Shiyu Yuan is a Research Associate at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership. Her work focuses on gender, work and policy, including how flexible working shapes care roles and inequalities. 

Chair: Prof Heejung Chung – Director, King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership

Professor Heejung Chung leads the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London. Her research focuses on flexible working, labour markets and gender equality. She will chair the panel discussion and audience Q&A.

Elliot Rae - Founder, Parenting Out Loud

Elliott Rae is one of the UK’s most prominent writers and speakers on fatherhood, masculinity and workplace culture.

He founded Parenting Out Loud, a culture change programme helping employers create workplaces where dads can openly embrace caring responsibilities. Through Parenting Out Loud, Elliott has changed the national conversation around working dads and influenced FTSE250 companies to improve paternity leave, flexible working and leadership culture.

In 2026, Elliott launched Equal Parenting Week, a national awareness moment celebrated across the UK and arranged a march where thousands of dads walked with prams to advocate for better paternity leave. He curated the bestselling book DAD and presented the seminal BBC One documentary Becoming Dad. Elliott is a regular commentator across national media and co-host of the chart-topping podcast To Be A Boy with guests including Sir Keir Starmer and Joe Wicks.

Elliott's work has been recognised by the United Nations and he was awarded an MBE in 2025 for services to fathers and families.

Alex Trippier – Educator, facilitator

Alex Trippier is a writer, speaker, podcast host, husband and father. He is an emerging voice on parenting and the role of men in family life. Alex has immersed himself in the work of leading mothers and parenting experts, exploring women’s lived experiences, mental load and family life. 

He brings these insights to life through interviews with voices including Eve Rodsky, Lucy Jones, Ruth Whippman and Steve Biddulph. His podcast has surpassed 50k downloads, while his social media following has grown to over 100k followers globally in 6 months. Alex's reels on fatherhood and domestic life have generated more than 20 million views, sparking widespread conversation around equality, care and culture. 

Alex brings a compassionate, feminist perspective to a growing international audience. Alex writes regularly for UK national newspaper The i and his commentary has been cited in Grazia and Marie Claire.

Sarah Alison Russell – Labour MP for Congleton

Sarah Russell has served as the Member of Parliament for Congleton since the 2024 General Election. She is Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Family Friendly and Flexible Working where she proudly champions reforms to parental leave and tackling maternity discrimination and the motherhood penalty. She is also a Member of the Justice Select Committee where she scrutinises Government policy and legislation across the Ministry of Justice.

She is a solicitor and has Masters in Law from KCL. Prior to her election built her legal career specialising in employment law, working in-house, in private practice and as a supervising solicitor at the Equality & Employment Law Centre.

Sarah also served for nearly a decade as a councillor for Northenden on Manchester City Council, where she chaired the Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committee. Alongside her council work, she has been active in community leadership, serving as a trustee and school governor. Sarah Russell also served as joint Vice-Chair of the Wythenshawe Community Housing Group and was Chair of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Audit Committee.

Dr. Philip Bonhard – Head of Experience Design, Homes Platform, Lloyds Banking Group
Phil Bonhard leads Experience Design for Lloyds Banking Group’s Homes Platform, shaping customer journeys across mortgages, home buying and ownership. Since joining in 2017, he has embedded human-centred design at scale, including bringing design capabilities in-house and leading teams across fraud prevention and digital identity. 

A father of three and senior leader, Phil brings both professional and lived experience to conversations about modern parenting. He is a strong advocate for flexible working and the role fathers play in creating more balanced, equitable workplaces.