A Growing Community With Real Appetite for Connection
We welcomed attendees from a variety of companies, and it was great to see so many EQ clients join us! Many attendees arrived early, stayed long past the formal close, and filled the room with discussions that continued well after 11am.
Networking quickly became one of the day’s standout features, it was informal, unforced, and clearly valuable.
Learning From Real Experience: The Power of Storytelling
One of the most impactful parts of the morning came through personal stories. Anne-Marie Clarke shared candid reflections from her own governance career, which resonated with attendees. The panel with EQ’s Co Sec business - which was made up of Sian Cotton, Ashley Gerrard and Charlotte Maybury - reinforced this authenticity, offering insight into the realities behind the job titles.
We tackled themes like imposter syndrome, communicating with confidence, and transitioning from classroom learning to practical application.
Developing Confidence in Communication
A core theme of the event was communication: how to strengthen it, how to adapt it, and how to build confidence over time.
Speakers emphasised that soft skills are often learned by watching colleagues, observing tone, and absorbing how experienced professionals navigate challenging or ambiguous situations.
Finding Your Voice
One of the strongest themes from the event was the importance of developing your own authentic communication style. Rather than copying the tone or behaviour of others, attendees were encouraged to trust the way they naturally express themselves. Speakers highlighted how verbal conversations often bring clarity and warmth in a way that written messages sometimes cannot.
One anecdote illustrated this beautifully: a relationship that completely transformed simply because two colleagues finally spoke via telephone rather than via email.
Owning your seat at the table
Another insightful discussion explored the challenge of entering the boardroom early in your career. While the environment can feel daunting, the speakers stressed that you’ve earned your seat at the table. Confidence may not come naturally at first, but projecting it helps you grow into it. Introducing yourself openly builds connections that make the room feel far less intimidating.
Small talk was also reframed as a valuable relationship building tool rather than a superficial exchange. Light conversations about everyday life foster familiarity and trust, often laying the groundwork for smoother collaboration and decision-making at a later stage.
Engaging Senior Stakeholders with Assurance
We also spent time discussing building confidence when communicating with senior stakeholders. For those early in their governance careers, these interactions can feel daunting, yet clear guidance emerged from the conversation. Preparation is essential. Understanding the task, anticipating the questions that leaders may ask and seeking clarification when needed, all help build credibility. Attendees were encouraged to develop strong working relationships with key individuals within their organisation, such as Executive Assistants and Personal Assistants, who can offer context, guidance and support.
LinkedIn and Digital Presence: A Hit with the Room
The session on networking in a digital age, led by EQ’s Digital Engagement Manager, Aaron Roberts, provided clear and practical guidance on how to use LinkedIn with greater purpose. The session focused on strengthening personal profiles, creating meaningful content, and building a digital presence that adds value rather than noise.
Attendees came away with greater confidence in how to use LinkedIn effectively, supported by actionable and immediately applicable advice they could take back into their day-to-day roles.
As Aaron shared during the session:
Be different when you connect. Personalise your outreach, show genuine interest, and focus on adding value to conversations rather than simply growing your network for the sake of it.”
The session reinforced the importance of intentional digital engagement, showing how thoughtful activity on LinkedIn can strengthen professional relationships and support long term career development.
Skills for Success: Balancing Learning, Work and Early Career Development
Guest speakers Alex Couter and Rafael Lara from National Grid offered thoughtful reflections on how junior governance professionals can balance learning with the demands of a busy workload. They encouraged attendees to approach each task with curiosity and openness, treating each day as an opportunity to absorb something new.
They highlighted the importance of dedicating time to learning from colleagues, asking questions freely and quantifying how long tasks truly take. They explained that understanding your own pace is essential for planning effectively and avoiding burnout. They also emphasised that personal development and achievement of your milestones is ultimately self-driven; no one can push your growth more than you can. Mistakes, they reassured the room, are not something to fear but something to learn from.
When asked what advice they would give their younger selves, both speakers emphasised the importance of creating a clear development roadmap, continually looking for ways to improve processes, using AI intentionally to support efficiency, allowing enough time to review work before submitting it and ensuring there is at least one trusted person with whom you can speak openly and without judgement.
Alex and Rafael advised:
Early in your Company Secretarial career, making time to learn from colleagues, asking questions openly, and being realistic about task timelines is essential. Understanding your own pace allows you to plan effectively and deliver consistently.”
Connect - Learn - Grow
The CGPro Network event provided practical guidance along with a sense of reassurance, connection, and community. Attendees gained new contacts, increased confidence, and the feeling that others share similar experiences. For many, it was one of the first opportunities to be among peers who understand the specific challenges and opportunities of starting out in governance.
We would like to thank everyone that joined us for this event. Please do look out for emails from us on future events!
— Anne-Marie Clarke, Chair of the CGPro NetworkTo our guests, I would like to thank everyone who took time out of their day to invest in themselves by attending this event, and the management teams who supported their attendance”
— Sian Cotton, Co-Chair of the CGPro NetworkAttending my first CGPro event as Co-Chair was really energising and motivating. I’m grateful to everyone who took the time to join us and engage on the topics we covered. It was great to see everyone networking and making new connections throughout the morning.”
— Anne-Marie Clarke and Sian CottonTo our event team, a heartfelt thank you for delivering such a successful and smoothly run event. Their care, professionalism and teamwork were evident throughout and made a real difference. This was a true collective effort, built on trust, collaboration and a shared commitment to doing our best, and we’re incredibly grateful.”
With thanks to Catherine Hann for capturing the highlights from our event.