International Women’s Day at the Brushwood Suite

Presented by: Princes Risborough Town Council

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0	PRINCES RISBOROUGH: Brushwood Suite
P	Friday 8th March, 2024
N	7:00pm

Event information

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.

Princes Risborough Town Council is proud to welcome you to its second International Women’s Day event at the Brushwood Suite on Friday 8 March 2024. Join us for an informal evening of celebration, inspiration, and connection as we hear from a panel of wonderful women. Speakers' presentations will be linked to the 2024 International Women’s theme of ‘Inspire Inclusion’. For more information on this year’s theme, please visit www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme.

This event is inclusive and open to all. All tickets are seated.

Speakers include:

• Debbie Brock DL - Former Mayor of Milton Keynes, Past High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire (2022-2023), a Deputy Lieutenant in Buckinghamshire

Debbie Brock is a former private chef who became a Masterpastrychef in Germany 1998 before returning home to Buckinghamshire. She set up and ran “Brock Chocolates” for six years, later marrying Peter Geary and becoming an Elected Member representing the Olney Ward on Milton Keynes Council. Debbie won her seat from another party and within four years had the second largest majority in the history of Milton Keynes Council.

Debbie is a former Mayor of Milton Keynes (2010/11), she held a Cabinet Portfolio before stepping down having served 8 years. She enjoys a broad involvement in the community and is Chair of the Milton Keynes Rose Trust, previously the Milton Keynes Cenotaph Trust. Debbie is a longstanding Vice President of the MK Community Foundation, a Deputy Lieutenant in Buckinghamshire and has recently served the County as its High Sheriff (2022/3).

• Wing Commander Jenny Dennis - Royal Air Force High Wycombe Station Commander

Wing Commander Jenny Dennis joined the Royal Air Force as a Telecommunications Operator and served at various locations including RAF Kinloss, RAF Waddington, Dharan Saudi Arabia, and RAF Brampton.

She commissioned as Admin Secretarial Officer in 1997 before leaving the Royal Air Force, and taking up Full and Part Time Reservist roles in 2010, working at RAF Leuchars, RAF Marham and at Headquarters Air Command.

Wing Commander Dennis re-joined the Regular RAF in 2015 and her first assignment was back to RAF Marham where she was Chief of Staff preparing the Station for the arrival of the F-35 Lightning aircraft in 2020. From there she moved to RAF Wittering where she was Officer Commanding Personnel Management Squadron, responsible for welfare, discipline and career management of 1400 personnel, and was instrumental in keeping this support going during the COVID pandemic. Wing Commander Dennis was appointed as Station Commander RAF High Wycombe on promotion in August 2022.


• Lynda Rawsthorne - Government Head of Property Profession and Director, Property Capability, Sponsorship & Standards

Lynda Rawsthorne was appointed Government Head of Property Profession and Director, Property Capability, Sponsorship & Standards, in August 2023.

Lynda is head of the Government Property Profession, the community of property professionals across government. She provides professional leadership across a diverse range of government departments and arms-length bodies which deliver the government’s property ambitions.

Lynda is responsible for the Government Property Strategy and the Government Property Functional Standard. The strategy sets out the government’s plans for a public sector estate for public benefit, ensuring it enables the best possible public services, is efficient and sustainable and supports the government’s levelling up ambitions. The Functional Standard sets expectations for how government property is acquired, managed and disposed of.

Lynda has over 25 years’ professional experience across the property lifecycle including valuation, managing estates as well as delivering transformational and construction-based programmes. A Fellow of both the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Association of Project Management, Lynda is a graduate of the Major Project Leadership Academy at the University of Oxford.

Lynda joined the Cabinet Office from the Department of Transport where she was Director of Programme Integration within High Speed Rail Group, leading the land and property interface. Her previous roles include Prison Infrastructure Director at Ministry of Justice, leading delivery of the 15,000 additional places construction and transformation programme, and Programme Director of the £4.4bn Priority School Building Programme at the Department for Education. Starting her career in Local Government, she then worked predominantly in the Valuation Office Agency which she joined on the graduate programme, serving as a Valuation Officer, Head of Customer Services and Chief of Staff.

Lynda grew up in Milton Keynes but as a military wife has travelled extensively, with married quarters in four countries. She juggled three children and a variety of working patterns while continuing her career.

Please note, we recommend purchasing tickets in advance for the discounted early bird rate of £5. Tickets will be available on the door for £7 subject to availability. All proceeds will be go to a women's charity chosen by the Events and PR Committee.

Schedule
7:00PM - Doors Open
7:30PM - Introduction from Cllr Josephine Biss
7:35PM - Speakers Presentations
8:35PM - Break
8:50PM - Questions for the panel