Rewriting the Rules of Events Leadership Starts With Honesty

On 25 February at International Confex, I sat in a session titled “The 70%: Women Rewriting the Rules of Events Leadership.”

The statistics were stark:

• Women make up 77% of the global events workforce

• Yet hold only 16% of leadership roles

  
  

Let that sink in.

An industry largely powered by women, but not proportionally led by them.

The panel brought together an inspiring group of leaders:

• Caroline Gourlay – President, Women in Exhibitions UK Chapter

• Grace Louisy – Managing Director, HeadBox

• Lucy Eden – Founder, Be in your Element Ltd

• Tinique Hay – Founder, Hay Events

• Matilda Riley – Lead Sustainability Consultant, From Now (Part of the emc3 Collective)

  
  

They spoke about leadership, visibility, imposter syndrome, boundaries, resilience, and the invisible calculations women often make in their careers.

And at the end, I asked a question I hadn’t planned to ask.

The Question I Didn’t Expect to Share

In December 2023, I was made redundant.

In early 2024, I started freelancing. In May 2024, I formally launched CDM.

We’ve been operating for under two years.

In February 2025, I found out I was pregnant with my first baby. She was born in October 2025, on what would have been her great-papa’s 90th birthday.

And here’s the part that’s hard to write:

I hid my pregnancy from clients and prospective clients.

Not because I’m private.

Not because I didn’t want to share joy.

But because I was afraid.

The Fear Behind the Silence

I was building something fragile.

A young business.

A growing reputation.

A team that relies on the credibility of the brand.

And somewhere in my mind, a narrative had formed:

• If clients know you’re pregnant, they’ll question capacity.

• If prospects know you’re expecting, they won’t sign.

• If you look “distracted” by motherhood, you’ll look less serious.

• If you show vulnerability, you’ll weaken the business.

So I kept it quiet.

I kept my pregnancy — and my beautiful daughter — like a dirty secret.

I told myself I was protecting the company. Protecting my team. Protecting future revenue.

But now I’m questioning:

Why did I assume it could be used against me?

Not Playing the Gender Card — But Naming the Reality

This isn’t about blaming men.

It isn’t about saying women can’t succeed.

And it certainly isn’t about wanting special treatment.

But it is about acknowledging that being a woman in business can feel like you’re operating on slightly thinner ice.

I’ve sometimes felt it’s harder to:

• Sell myself confidently

• Command authority without being perceived as “too much”

• Balance warmth and strength without it being misinterpreted

• Build a business while navigating motherhood
  

And when you’re a founder, everything feels personal. There’s no corporate maternity policy cushioning you. No large HR structure absorbing risk. No guaranteed salary landing at the end of the month.

Just you. Your name. Your reputation.

So I controlled what I could.

And what I could control… was silence.

The Invisible Calculations Women Make

Listening to the panel today, I realised something:

The statistics (77% vs 16%) aren’t just about promotion pipelines.

They’re about confidence pipelines. Visibility pipelines. Psychological safety.

They’re about the unspoken calculations women make every day:

• Should I say this?

• Should I push back?

• Should I share that?

• Will this make me look less committed?
  

I withheld part of my life not because I’m ashamed of it — but because I subconsciously believed it could weaken the business.

That belief didn’t come from nowhere.

What I’m Unlearning

Sitting in that session, hearing strong, capable women talk openly about their journeys, I felt two things:

1. Validation

2. Frustration
   

Validation that I’m not alone in these mental negotiations.

Frustration that I ever felt I had to negotiate them at all.

My daughter is not a liability. Motherhood is not a weakness. Leadership doesn’t become less credible because it’s paired with care.

If anything, becoming a mother has sharpened:

• My focus

• My time management

• My boundaries

• My empathy

• My strategic thinking
  

And perhaps most importantly, my definition of success.

Rewriting My Own Rules

The session was called “Women Rewriting the Rules of Events Leadership.”

Maybe rewriting the rules doesn’t always start at board level.

Maybe it starts with smaller acts of honesty.

With not shrinking. With not hiding. With not assuming we’ll be judged before we actually are.

I don’t regret protecting my business during a vulnerable season. But I am reflecting on why I felt I had to.

And I’m choosing differently moving forward.

Because if 77% of our industry is women, then the version of leadership we build next should reflect the fullness of who we are — not just the parts that feel commercially safe.

Since leaving that session, I’ve been thinking about how little structured space there is in our industry to talk honestly about sustainable leadership — particularly for working parents navigating ambition, visibility and commercial pressure.

I’m exploring the idea of convening a small, senior-level collective to share practical leadership insight and, over time, develop anonymised industry observations that could contribute to improving progression and retention in events.

If that conversation resonates with you, I’d genuinely love to hear from you - info@cdonaldson-marketing.co.uk

Lots of love, Caylee