Time

Session

10:00 - 10:15

Welcome from our Chairperson

Professor Dame Lesley Regan
Women’s Health Ambassador for England

How do various sectors in Women’s Health overcome barriers to meaningful progress?

Almost all studies show that women’s health problems form a greater burden on healthcare services than that of men’s not only in the UK but globally too. According to NHS Digital’s 2022 report, greater total costs of patient level activity were related to women than men. Despite this, women are still unable to efficiently access support services to seek treatment for their health issues. This panel discussion will delve into the key reasons this gender gap exists in healthcare and what can be done in various sectors, such as healthcare, education and research, to ensure women feel seen, understood and looked after in the NHS.

Moderator

Professor Dame Lesley Regan
Women’s Health Ambassador for England

Speaker

Professor Stephen Smith,
Former Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Cambridge University. Former Dean of School of Medicine at Imperial College, London.

Professor Asif Ahmed,
Founder and Executive Chairman of Mirzyme Therapeutics

Teodora Popa,
Programme Director of MSc Reproductive Science and Women’s Health at UCL

Digital Accessibility: Beyond Checking Boxes Envisioning empathetic tech

1. The imperative of digital accessibility: We delve into why digital accessibility is so crucial, touching on the significant statistic from WebAIM that 96.3% of home pages don’t meet WCAG 2 standards. It’s a reminder of the challenges faced by the 1.3 billion people globally with disabilities (WHO data).
2. Empathy over compliance: Our conversation goes beyond just ticking boxes for legal compliance. We explore how a heartfelt approach to technology can create solutions that are not only inclusive but also innovative and effective.
3. Our Journey at Beetroot: We share our experiences at Beetroot, where our commitment to diversity and inclusion shapes everything we do. It’s about doing more than what’s required; it’s about creating technology that makes a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Plus, we’ve seen firsthand that it’s a smart business strategy, too.

Rana Ersgard,
Deputy CEO, Beetroot AB

Fertility and Menstrual Care for Every Body: Breaking the stigma for a more inclusive future

Moderator

Lizz Summers,
Head of Brand & Marketing, Medico Digital

Speakers

Dr. Helen O'Neill,
CEO & Founder of Hertility Health

Bridget Gorham,
Health Economic Partnerships Lead, NHS Confederation

Sarah Henry,
Race & Ethnicity Trainer, Counsellor

Tatiana Klimanova,
Accelerator Director, FemTech Lab

FemTech for health & wellbeing: What do we want beyond what is available.

Join Dr Heather Duncan, Chief Medical Officer at Isansys Lifecare, as she chairs a pivotal panel discussion which will explore what health and wellbeing technology is currently available in health for sport performance, smart clothing, menstrual cycle, pregnancy, motherhood, menopause, mood, and therapy. This session will outline what technology is currently on offer for women in these spaces and then determine what else is needed from the health tech industry to better enable women to be their best selves. There is some amazing work being done in the health tech arena by women and for women, but this complex area needs creative cross-speciality collaboration. In this session Dr Duncan would like people to come together to share, learn, and be part of growing the future.

Dr. Heather Duncan,
Chief Medical Officer, Isansys Lifecare

Lesley Soden,
DirectorDirector, Succoris Ltd

Lina Chan,
CEO and co-founder of Parla

Kelly Klifa,
CEO & Co-Founder of Ally Health

Katherine Church,
Women's Health Lead for SmartCo Consulting

Karina Vazirova,
Co-Founder & CEO, Femtech Lab

Fertility Mapper

"Fertility Mapper is a platform powered by community data, dedicated to improving personalised access to high quality fertility services and rethinking the way fertility treatments are experienced, delivered and paid for.
Today, Fertility Mapper is setting a new standard of transparency as the Tripadvisor for fertility clinics; a one-stop shop for anyone accessing treatment.
Kayleigh is the founder and CEO of Fertility Mapper. A healthcare expert with over 17 years experience, Kayleigh has worked across both the public and private sector. This includes senior roles at the Department of Health, NHS, and as the Managing Director of a private equity advisory practice working on healthcare transactions across Europe. Most recently, Kayleigh has been part of the executive team at HealthHero and Zava, two of Europe’s largest healthtech companies. Kayleigh holds a BSc in the Biology of Fertility and Embryo Development (UCL) and an MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing (LSE)."

Kayleigh Hartigan,
Founder and CEO, Fertility Mapper

Lunch and networking

14:30 - 14:40

Startup showcase

GIANT is proud to showcase an impressive selection of Europe’s leading, award winning health-tech innovation start-ups. Continuing our 9-year track record as the leading “magnet for innovation”, according to the BBC, here’s an important selection of superb businesses demonstrating valuable innovations in healthcare - innovations that support GIANT’s mission “To improve the health and well-being of people around the world, by facilitating the acceleration and adoption of tech innovation”

Companies participating:

PCOS & US

How do we revoluntise primary care health services to support women with perinatal pelvic floor health issues?

• The Real Impact: Unveiling the True Effect of Pelvic Floor Issues on Women’s Lives.
• Who’s Impacted and What Really Works: A comprehensive look at those affected and the effectiveness of current treatments.
• Breaking Barriers: Understanding why many women hesitate to seek treatment and what stands in their way.
• Redefining Perinatal Pelvic Health Services: Navigating the challenges and seizing opportunities for better care.
• The Future Blueprint: Envisioning and shaping what changes are necessary, possible in perinatal pelvic health services.
• What would, could or should we be doing differently?

Moderator

Wendy Powell,
CEO and Founder of MUTU Systems

Speakers

Dr Raj Arora,
NHS GP

Jenny Partridge,
Innovation Manager, Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex

Sara Nelson,
Programme Director, DigitalHealth.London

Bella D’Almeida,
Clinical Lead, Sussex PPHS

Monica Franklin,
Senior Project Manager, Perinatal Pelvic Health Service - South East London ICS

‘Unlocking Opportunities in Women’s Healthcare’ in partnership with Discovery Park

From addressing unique health challenges to fostering innovation and inclusivity, we invite you to join us for a thought-provoking discussion that delves into the heart of women's healthcare. Our panellists will share their insights, experiences, and visions for unlocking the doors to a healthier, more equitable future for women everywhere.

Moderator

Sylvia Stevenson,
Founder, Absolute Diversity

Speakers

Dr. MaryAnn Ferreux,
Medical Director, Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex

Lina Chan,
Holland & Barrett General Manager Wellness Ventures and CEO, Founder at Parla

Melisa Guven,
Associate, Monograph Capital

Karina Vazirova,
Co-Founder & CEO, Femtech Lab

How do we make women's health services work for women?

Women's health is today's hot topic and issues like menopause are more widely discussed than ever before. Policy drivers like the Women's Health Strategy are shaping the delivery of public services but are we doing enough and are services actually meeting the needs of the women they are targeting? How do we radically design services for women and take a UCD approach to make services accessible, affordable and embedded across workplaces, the NHS and wherever women go seeking help at every stage of their lives?

Moderator

Natasha Phillips,
Founder of Future Nurse, Former Chief Nursing Information Officer for England

Speakers

Katherine Church,
Women’s Health Tech expert

Victoria Betton,
UCD and service design expert

Liz Ashall Payne,
CEO of ORCHA

Heather Wade,
Menopause X

Leila Thabet,
Vice-President of Global Growth at Maven Clinic