The She Says event in Brighton celebrated International Women’s Day with powerful speakers sharing their impactful journeys in work and life. It promoted women in the digital, tech, and creative industries. Fostering a vibrant environment filled with discussion, support, and encouragement. Women of all ages came together in an empowering space, where stories of leadership, resilience, and advocacy took centre stage. Among the attendees was a mother with her baby, highlighting the event’s inclusive and welcoming atmosphere.
Bella Sankey: Leadership and Social Mobility in Brighton
The first speaker of the evening was Bella Sankey, leader of Brighton and Hove City Council. With a background in human rights campaigning, Sankey shared how her journey into politics was shaped by her experience of overcoming prejudice and ‘otherness’ due to her mixed heritage.
Sankey highlighted some of the key achievements as leader of the council. One of the most significant may be ending the ‘Hotel Refugee’ policy, which had previously placed refugee children in hotels rather than foster care. She emphasised the urgency of addressing this issue, as many children had gone missing under the policy.
Another major focus of her leadership has been tackling the “toxic atmosphere within the council”, working to create a more functional and respectful political environment. She also discussed her efforts to promote social mobility in education by ensuring that children who receive free school meals are given priority in school choices, a move she described as “social mobility in action”.
During the Q&A session, Sankey responded to questions about balancing motherhood and leadership, explaining that she has structured her work schedule around school drop-offs and pick-ups to maintain a strong presence in both aspects of her life. When asked whether she had ever been forced to act against her political beliefs, she confidently stated that she had not yet faced that situation.
Another question raised the issue of increasing women’s representation in leadership positions. Sankey pointed to the 2010 Labour Women’s Equality Act, which allows for hiring practices that prioritise underrepresented groups. Although Brighton City Council has an inverse gender pay gap, she acknowledged that racial and disability-related pay gaps persist. To address these inequalities, the council has implemented positive discrimination in hiring, ensuring that individuals with underrepresented characteristics are given priority. She stressed the importance of tightening loopholes to achieve real equity in the workplace.
Claire Bown: On the Gender Data Gap
The second speaker of the evening, Claire Bown, founder and CEO of Insert Space/Insert AI, shifted the discussion toward issues in the tech and data industries. She highlighted how these fields remain male-dominated and spoke about the widespread gender data gap. Despite the rapid growth of the data sphere, she noted that women represent only about twenty-two per cent of the tech, data, and AI workforce.
Her decision to establish her data agency stemmed from concerns over the manipulation of data by major companies. She explained how findings that do not align with corporate interests are often dismissed or altered, leading to inaccurate and biased data. Her goal in launching her agency was to ensure that data collection remains accurate and representative.
One of the central themes of her talk was the gender data gap – the systemic underrepresentation of women in data collection and analysis. She warned that this gap has real-world consequences, from the development of biased AI algorithms to continued workplace inequalities. She emphasised the urgent need for more women in tech and data-related fields, arguing that a more balanced industry is essential to creating systems and technologies that reflect the needs of all people, rather than being shaped primarily by a male perspective.
The She Says event served as a powerful reminder of the importance of women’s voices in leadership, policy, and technology. Whether in political decision-making or the development of AI and data-driven industries, the speakers highlighted the ongoing challenges that women face, as well as the progress being made. The lively atmosphere and the diverse audience reinforced the event’s core message: when women support one another, meaningful change becomes possible.
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