The Chief Executives' Club at Queen's and Engineers Ireland, in association with The Institution of Engineering and Technology presents the 22nd Annual Sir Bernard Crossland Lecture given by Dr Jayne.

Jayne Brady took up the post as Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service in September 2021, the first female and external appointment in its 100 year history. As part of this role she is the most senior adviser to the First Minister and the deputy First Minister and Secretary to the Northern Ireland Executive. She is an engineer at heart with extensive, board experience and a track record of success that transcends blue-chip corporations, start-ups and funding ecosystems.

The Chief Executives' Club and Queen's Gender Initiative were delighted to host Jane Hartley, US Ambassador, for an in conversation piece chaired by Professor Karen McCloskey, QGI Director.

Jane D. Hartley was sworn in as the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on May 27, 2022. She served as Ambassador to the French Republic and the Principality of Monaco from 2014-2017. She was Chief Executive Officer of Observatory Group, an international economic and political advisory firm. Before founding the Observatory Group, she was Chief Executive Officer of the G7 Group, a premier research firm providing macroeconomic and political analysis to global clients.

The Chief Executives' Club and Queen's Business School presented the Annual Mary McAleese Diversity Lecture given by Dame Kate Barker.

'Do we need more women in economic policy?' was given by Dame Kate Barker. As one of the leading policy-oriented economists of her generation, Kate Barker has had an extraordinarily diverse career including roles as Chief Economist at Ford of Europe, Economic Advisor to the CBI and three terms as a member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee.

The Chief Executives' Club at Queen's in partnership with Women in Business presented 'In Conversation with Dr Raja Al Gurg'.

Dr Raja Al Gurg is Chairperson and Managing Director of the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group. With four decades of experience as a businesswoman in sectors as diverse as education and manufacturing, Raja has had hands-on experience with a wide variety of sectors in the corporate world. Her work in this area has yielded a list of impressive accolades, including being listed for multiple years among ‘The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’ by Forbes and held the number one position for 2021 in Forbes Middle East’s ‘Most Powerful Businesswomen’.