Steph Libbey, Louise Kennedy, Natasha McDonough, Lesley Spuhler, and Susan Fulton.jpg — Pictured, from left to right are Steph Libbey, Sunderland AFC Women's assistant manager; Louise Kennedy, managing director of Oculus HR; Natasha McDonough, founder and chief executive of MMC Research; Lesley Spuhler, chief executive of Foundation of Light; and Susan Fulton, executive director of people at Gentoo Group

Female leadership in focus at Wearside event

A business breakfast at Sunderland Football Club’s Foundation of Light has focused on women in football.

The Women in Leadership conference was part of the Foundation’s latest early morning collective that kicked off the second day of this week’s Sunderland Business Festival.

The business breakfasts, which are hosted in the Beacon of Light building adjacent to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, bring together like-minded local organisations to meet with the Foundation’s extensive partner network.

Louise Kennedy, managing director of Oculus HR, led the ‘Women in Leadership’ panel discussion, which also included the Foundation of Light’s chief executive Lesley Spuhler, Sunderland’s women team’s assistant manager Steph Libbey, Gentoo Group executive director of people Susan Fulton, and MMC Research founder and chief executive Natasha McDonough.

Guests mingled and chatted over breakfast after the discussion, and were given the opportunity to see some of the Foundation of Light’s work in action in a showcase of the women’s football programmes on the Beacon’s rooftop pitch.

Lesley said: “We had a great attendance for what has been the first women’s leadership breakfast.

“I was delighted to be alongside a great panel as part of Sunderland Business Week.

"There’s so many great things happening in Sunderland at the minute - you can’t help but want to celebrate it - and it’s great to be a part of it.”

Natasha, who also sits on the board at the Beacon of Light, added: “It was really enjoyable, a nice opportunity to share what I believe are good leadership styles.

“For me, sitting on the board, it’s really lovely to have this at the Beacon of Light, to showcase all the different rooms and the lovely street level we’ve got here.

'Hopefully, we get some more conferences here too.”

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