Omniwomen UK + Allies, a global initiative dedicated to increasing the number, seniority and influence of women across the Omnicom network, is set to host its sixth annual leadership summit on 10 March.

For the second year running, the group is proud to be working with Theirworld, a children’s charity committed to ending the global education crisis. With Sarah Brown, president of TheirWorld, in attendance, who will be interviewed by June Sarpong, advisory doard of Theirworld and British television personality, the event will be raising funds to support three vulnerable, refugee women living in Lebanon through a three-year MBA. This is part of Omnicom’s commitment to the UN Strategic Development Goal for Education.

In honour of this year’s International Women’s Day, the summit will invite 300 Omniwomen UK delegates to experience a day of workshops and discussions, where Omnicom’s future female leaders can find inspiration and mentorship from those who are already in positions of leadership. It is an opportunity to hear the personal stories and perspectives of industry leaders, debate the big issues, and feel part of a powerful and supportive network.

The theme of this year’s summit is ‘New leadership in a hyper-connected world,’ which celebrates the positive stereotypes typically attributed to women and encourages all gender identities to embrace these qualities in a world that’s always on.

With talks from Jacqueline de Rojas, president of techUK and chair of the board of digital leaders, Siobhan Benita, Lib Dem 2020 mayoral candidate, and Lotte Jeffs, author  of ‘How To Be A Gentlewoman: The Art of Soft Power in Hard Times,’ the summit will explore new leadership qualities that will define our future industry such as empathy and respect unveiling research carried out by Hall & Partners that explores the behaviours that the network considers most valuable.

This year’s co-chairs Natalie Bell and Carolyn Stebbings say, "Throughout the network we are making great strides to help women achieve their full potential at work. To do this, it’s essential to foster an environment where women feel empowered to recognize their individual stereotypes as strengths and embrace new leadership qualities to excel in a hyper-connected world.”

Since the launch of Omniwomen UK in 2015, the initiative has reached thousands of women and their male allies from the Omnicom network and has made good progress in increasing female representation in senior management across Omnicom companies. To date, over half (55%) of the leadership roles across the Omnicom network are currently held by women. The network has also seen a 93% increase in female representation on the management board in the last five years, with a 7% increase from 2019. But not one to stagnate, Omniwomen UK + Allies are dedicated to enabling women from all backgrounds to fulfil their potential, which is why this year’s summit encourages women to bring their stereotypes to work and embrace individual and diverse leadership qualities.