East Midlands Cohort 1
Your investment in how you lead, contribute, and influence.
Welcome to the WOBCIC East Midlands Network Cohort 1 members information page, including private access to the programme evaluations.
In-person
Thinking → Applied Contribution
The 4 in-person sessions are where knowledge is tested, applied, and strengthened, with key guest speakers as delivery partners.
Each session is structured around a physical board table, with a senior business leader or key speaker seated within the group, not separate from it.
We are creating direct access to experience, insight, and challenge with participants expected to contribute, challenge and engage.
The sessions are not observational; they require active participation within a board-level environment.
The East Midlands In-person will all be held at PwC UK, East Midlands from 10am - 12pm.
Address : PwC UK, East Midlands
Pegasus Business Park, Beverley Rd, Derby DE74 2UZ
Session 1
Personal Development & Branding
4th June 2026
How you present, position, and articulate your value
at leadership and board level.
Guest speaker :
Anne Davies DL, BBC
Session 3
Leadership Mindset
3rd December 2026
Building confidence, judgement, and presence in high-level discussions.
Guest speaker :
Amanda Daly, The Turnaround CEO
Session 2
Equitable Governance
3rd September 2026
Applying governance thinking to real business contexts and decisions.
Guest speakers :
Sandra Wiggins, Payal Walker WOBCIC & APPG Equitable Governance Secretariat
Session 4
Simulated Board meeting
26th February 2027
A live, practical session where participants engage in a structured board scenario.
Guest Chair :
Baroness Verma, House of Lords
Online
Knowledge → Strategic Perspective
The 4 online sessions establish the core understanding required to operate at board level.
They are focused, practical, and designed to strengthen how participants think, question, and interpret decisions.
Here, participants develop a clear understanding of how governance operates within SMEs and the ability to think strategically rather than operationally.
The online sessions build on financial and performance information confidence, together with awareness of board role pathways and how to position for them.
All online sessions will be held on Zoom.
Session 1
Governance Fundamentals
1st October 2026
Understanding board structures, roles, responsibilities, and how decisions are shaped.
Guest speaker :
Sandra Wiggins, Payal Walker, WOBCIC
Session 3
Financial Acumen
7th January 2027
Interpreting financial information, understanding risk, and contributing with credibility and authority.
Guest speaker :
PwC UK
Session 2
Strategic Thinking, Critical Challenge & Decision making
5th November 2026
Moving from delivery into contribution, asking the right questions, and applying judgement.
Guest speaker :
Awaiting confirmation
Session 4
Strategic Trust & Pathways
4th March 2027
Building relationships, visibility, and positioning for board opportunities.
Guest speaker :
Payal Walker, Sandra Wiggins WOBCIC
Inclusion
&
Empowerment
Opening access to leadership-level conversations and opportunities.
Innovation
&
Excellence
Raising standards and embedding best-practice and Equitable Governance Code™.
Sustainability
&
Growth
Supporting long-term impact through better decision-making
& leadership capability.
Inclusion
&
Empowerment
Developing confident contributors to boards, committees and public discourse.