Dame Sharon White, the first ever woman to become chair of John Lewis & Partners, will join former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard to discuss women’s leadership and gender equality on Thursday 9 March, at an event to mark International Women’s Day.

The conversation will be hosted by the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London – which Gillard Chairs – and Ipsos UK.

In 2022 White was named the UK’s most influential black person by a panel of judges for the Powerlist award. She was previously the first woman to lead the UK’s media regulator, Ofcom, and was only the second woman to be appointed Second Permanent Secretary at the Treasury.

White will discuss her career journey and views on how to make progress on gender equality in the workplace and beyond.

The discussion will be informed by insights from Kelly Beaver MBE, the first female chief executive of Ipsos in the UK and Ireland, who will share findings from a new global survey.