The ECB, in collaboration with champion partner of women’s and girls’ cricket Metro Bank, is delighted to announce the keynote speaker line-up at Network Live 2026: Leading the Future of Women’s Cricket which includes industry leading women from across sport and business.
Businesswoman and inspirational entrepreneur Sara Davies MBE will take to the stage for an in-depth interview on Saturday evening. Sara will share why her love for cricket is such a fundamental part of her leadership success, setting her up for a lifetime of achievement in her business ventures. Sara’s wealth of personal experience in influencing and leading change will provide attendees with key learnings and fresh thinking, supporting them to grow and develop.
On Sunday delegates will hear from Olympian Kate Richardson-Walsh. Kate, who captained the gold medal winning Great Britain Hockey team at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, has experienced leading a team through soaring highs and crushing lows. She will offer her insights into how to build and grow a successful and high performing team culture.
Further to this, Wing Commander Nicola Lofthouse will present her keynote speech ‘FEARLESS(ish)’. As a military pilot, the Commander of the largest operational front-line Squadron in the Royal Air Force and with experience leading overseas military operations in high risk-to-life situations, she will share her story of leadership. Her keynote will encompass the challenges faced working in a high-performance, male-dominated environment, from both the organisational perspective and overcoming personal insecurities. She will also cover how she built confidence, her reputation and trust to develop into the leader she has become today, and how she is now leading change from the front.
When we talk about shaping the game, no one can share the learning and tell the story better than the ECB’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Clare Connor. Clare’s impact on cricket – and the wider women’s sport landscape – has already been recognised and celebrated. She has been awarded the MBE, OBE and CBE for services to women’s sport. In 2021-22 she was the first female President of MCC and then spent nearly a year as the ECB’s Interim Chief Executive Officer in 2022-23.
Clare has led women’s cricket from an amateur game into a professional era, introducing the first central contracts for England Women, and overseeing the introduction of a professional structure and professional contracts for domestic female players. Clare will share her continued ambition for the growth and success of the game, and the confidence she has that the momentum that has been built will carry women’s cricket forward into a bold, bright future.
Alongside these icons of sport and business, the conference will also hear from a number of those driving the sport forward, including ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Tournament Director Beth Barrett-Wild, who featured on the BBC Woman’s Hour Power List in 2023 and Telegraph Sport’s 50 most influential women in sport in 2024; ECB leaders Leshia Hawkins, MD of Recreational Game and Gemma Barton Head of Strategic Growth; and Kate Cross, who will share her journey as a player, personally experiencing the growth of the game at international and domestic level and being at the forefront of the professionalisation of the sport.
In addition to hearing from these game-changing speakers, the captains, coaches and administrators attending the flagship two-day national conference will build practical skills that can be applied immediately to lead change in the sport.
On the evening of Saturday 7 March, the conference will include an ICC Women’s T20 World Cup celebration evening. With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup trophy as the centre piece, the event will feature a panel interview with England International, World Cup Winner and Gloucestershire Women’s Head Coach Fran Wilson; England Women’s Performance Director Jonathan Finch; and Scotland international Sarah Bryce, fresh from Scotland’s qualification to the tournament. The panel session will take place alongside music and street food honouring the cultures of the competing nations.
The Network Live 2026: Leading the Future of Women’s Cricket conference will offer a rare opportunity for attendees to connect, and leave inspired, informed and empowered, harnessing the power of a new movement in women’s cricket to take the game to the next level.
To be part of this game-changing event, please click the link here.