A lot of change has been made in recent years to support women to progress into leadership roles in the public sector, but there is still work to be done.

Barriers remain such as lack of financial support, access to affordable childcare, navigating a male-dominated culture and bias in recruitment and selection procedures.

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural Public Sector Women in Leadership Summit, the 2024 Summit is an open forum for key representatives from government and the public sector to discuss how we can overcome these barriers.

The Summit programme aims to support women in Ireland in their pursuit of leadership and senior management roles in the public service. It will give aspiring female leaders the opportunity to learn from the inspirational women already in leadership positions, learn from their ambitious, yet challenging journey to the top and understand how to tackle the roadblocks that exist today.

Expert speakers will discuss a range of hot topics including the role of schools and colleges in equipping girls and women to take on leadership roles; leading a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) awareness in government organisations; addressing gender bias to achieve ethical artificial intelligence; driving excellence in public service with innovation and digitalisation, and leveraging technology for enhanced public sector efficiency.

The conference will also showcase some of the leading stars at the forefront of the public service across different sectors including tech, finance, construction, energy, food, defence, health and e-mobility. We will also feature some initiatives and programmes in Ireland’s leading private sector companies that are creating diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces that allow every employee to thrive, regardless of their background.

So if you are an aspiring female leader within the public sector, including all departments and agencies, local authorities, semi-state organisations and government administrations, then join us on 21 November to hear how you can accelerate your leadership in the public service.