Prime Highlights-
- The North East Chamber’s Women Who Rise conference celebrated inspiring women leaders and championed workplace equity across the region.
- The event previewed the Inspiring Women in Business Awards 2026, honoring leadership and community impact.
Key Facts-
- More than 150 leaders attended the fourteenth annual conference at Ramside Hall Hotel in Durham.
- Awards categories include Business Leader of the Year and Apprentice of the Year, set for Newcastle Civic Centre.
Background-
More than 150 business leaders, entrepreneurs, and community figures filled Ramside Hall Hotel in Durham for the North East Chamber of Commerce’s fourteenth annual Inspiring Women in Business Conference, sponsored by PD Ports.
Running under the banner “Women Who Rise,” the day put a spotlight on women shaping organizations and communities throughout the region, with sessions built around leadership, workplace equity, and empowerment.
Chamber president and Palintest chief financial officer Deborah Walton opened the day, describing local women as leaders, innovators, and disruptors whose strength and determination deserve recognition and a wider platform to connect with peers.
Attendees heard from keynote speakers and joined panel discussions and hands-on workshops throughout the day. Northumbria NHS chief executive Dr Birju Bartoli used her keynote to trace her own rise to the top, telling the room she never anticipated leading a 12,000-employee organization when she first joined the NHS graduate management scheme. She framed her career as proof that leadership remains within reach for anyone prepared to put in the work.
Kay Carrick, who chairs the Chamber’s Women’s Leadership and Social Equity Forum while serving as director of fundraising and development at Beamish Museum, said the initiative encourages women to thrive and tied female leadership directly to the region’s economic future.
Walton also chaired a Workplace Equity panel featuring representatives from PD Ports, New College Durham, Moonrise 24hr Recruitment, and The Experience Effect, who explored ways to weave inclusion into business strategy and strengthen support networks for women.
Organizers used the conference to look ahead to the Inspiring Women in Business Awards 2026, backed by Newcastle International Airport and scheduled for November 27 at Newcastle Civic Centre.
