Learning at Work Week Webinar: Connecting Leaders. Driving Change.
Lessons from Rolls-Royce, Home Office, Salesforce, CMA.
As part of Learning at Work Week 2025, WIG is hosting a special event on this year's theme “Get Connected”. This session will showcase real-world examples of how WIG’s interventions— secondments, mentoring, and leadership development programmes—have helped leaders expand their networks, enhance strategic thinking, and drive change.
Through a panel discussion featuring WIG alumni, attendees will gain insights into:
• Leadership Capability (Leadership Programmes, Secondments & Mentoring): Developing the skills to lead in complex environments.
• Evidencing Best Practice: How cross-sector insights create innovation and impact in organisations.
This event will inspire professionals to leverage cross-sector learning, build meaningful connections, and apply new perspectives to their leadership journey.
Katy manages our Talent and Leadership Programme function, designed to maximise cross-sector learning through cross-sector knowledge exchange.
The Talent and Leadership function runs the Charity Next Fast Stream secondment programme, arranges and facilitates cross-sector secondment and mentoring opportunities and works with organisations to recruit cross-sector, diverse experts onto Non-Executive and Trustee boards. She also manages our award winning experiential cross-sector leadership development programmes for future leaders through to C-suite experts.
Before joining WIG, Katy worked as a Director for Badenoch & Clark and Adecco, a specialist professional services recruitment company, personally specialising in senior level recruitment to Social Housing, Not-For-Profit and Local Government, as well as sitting on their operational board with responsibility for corporate social responsibility, culture and leadership development.
She sits as a Trustee for a Grant Giving Charity. And in her spare time, when not looking after her three children, she enjoys swimming, running and skiing.
Topic: Connect & Explore – Secondments & cross-sector learning
Gemma has spent most of her career in the civil service, most recently as a Deputy Director working within Asylum Operations, overseeing the safe transfer of young people entering the UK via small boats into local authority care.
In August 2023 she began a two-year secondment with Sheffield Hallam University as the Head of Strategic Planning and Partnerships, during which time she has overseen the delivery of a £100m+ campus construction programme, developed a new approach to curriculum management and acted as the university representative for innovation within the city.
She will be returning to the civil service in September this year and is looking forward to bringing her experience within the Higher Education sector and the networks she has developed within the region into policy, strategy and operational delivery back in government.
Outside of work, Gemma enjoys Pilates, yoga and cold-water swimming at her local lido.
Topic: Connect & Grow – Cross-sector mentoring & leadership growth
Olga is an engineer at heart who has spent almost 2 decades working in the Civil Aerospace sector for Rolls-Royce. Her career has been varied and international. Experiences included flying on board prototype aircraft as a flight test engineer in France, Emirates and Bolivia, overseeing aircraft return to service in Australia to managing an entry into service of a new engine type in Hong Kong.
The experiences have led her to work as Chief Services Engineer in the UK overseeing safety, reliability and lifecycle cost of mature engines in service that power some of the iconic A380s as well as other widebody aircraft. More recently she has joined the R&T team to help shape the next generation civil aerospace products. Outside of work, Olga enjoys yoga, gardening and dancing with her daughters in the kitchen.
Topic: Connect and Inspire - Leadership Development Alumni
Ayesha is an experienced HR leader, having undertaken a variety of HR roles across both the private and public sector, notably BAE Systems and the Civil Service. She currently leads a team of circa 20 people to ensure the that the HR systems, operations, pay, reward and people management information activity is delivered effectively for the Competition and Markets Authority, which comprises circa 1100 employees.
When not at work, she enjoys spending time with family, playing tennis and travelling to new places.
Topic: Connect & Network- Cross sector-events & Networking
Tony Lee helps UK public sector transport plan and deliver better transport — greener, smarter, and more joined-up. He's focused on practical impact and partnerships that drive long-term change. Curious by nature and grounded in purpose, he is a lifelong learner who thrives at the intersection of people, systems, and meaningful change.