Celebrity speakers for Tauranga women's conference

The Regional Business Women's Conference will allow women to learn from speakers' diverse experiences, says organiser Kathryn Lelleman. Photo/File

The Regional Business Women's Conference has secured a celebrity lineup for its conference in May.

The speakers will include scientist and social entrepreneur Sir Ray Avery, chief executive of Trilogy International Angela Buglass, former New Zealand Herald editor Tim Murphy, Women's Refuge chief executive Dr Ang Jury, manager of the Hip Op-eration Crew Billie Jordan, and Tauranga's Black Sticks hockey star Gemma McCaw.

The conference is a biennial event and drew around 170 delegates in 2015, said Kathryn Lellman, chairwoman of the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce's Business Women's Network, which is organising the event. The lead sponsors are Craigs Investment Partners and Cooney Lees Morgan.

The 2017 conference theme is "No grit, no pearl", which Ms Lellman said reflected the fact that women could not expect to achieve their goals without encountering and overcoming challenges.

"The conference goals include showing attendees that sometimes succeeding means getting a bit of dirt under your fingernails and dealing with some grit," she said.

"All of the speakers will be reflecting that resilience and diversity. They'll be talking about their experience, what they've survived, and the tools that have got them through the grittier times."

Ms Lellman, who is a partner at Hollister-Jones Lellman, said the conferences had typically been well attended.

"We see the value of the conference as providing a great user-friendly networking event," she said. "Women can come along who are currently in the workforce, thinking about getting back into work, or starting new."

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stan Gregec said the Business Women's network had always been a strong group within the chamber.

"The conference is an opportunity for women involved in all kinds of businesses and professions to take part in something that is tailored to their needs and interests," he said.

"Our support as a chamber is a way for us to provided some added value to the group, but it's very much a fantastic collective effort on the part of the network's organising committee."

Craigs Investment Partners and Cooney Lees Morgan Regional Business Women's Conference

When: Friday evening 19 May, all day Sat 20 May

Where: Trinity Wharf, Tauranga