Kezia Opie

As AI continues to reshape industries, women still face uneven access to visibility, sponsorship, and leadership pathways. These challenges evolve across career stages, from establishing credibility early on to breaking through senior leadership barriers. This session explores how self-advocacy and strategic career navigation work together to accelerate progression. Participants will learn how to strengthen their presence, make bold career decisions, and build long-term influence in AI.

• Build visibility and credibility by strengthening how you communicate and advocate for your work in AI environments 

• Increase influence by developing strong networks and securing sponsorship that supports your progression 

• Navigate career stages by recognising when to pivot, specialise, or step into leadership roles 

• Overcome systemic barriers by adapting strategies as challenges shift across your career journey

AI adoption has outpaced organizational control. While experimentation accelerates, governance, accountability, and oversight often lag behind, creating a growing risk gap. This session explores why governance is becoming the next critical AI battleground and what happens when guardrails are unclear, inconsistent, or retrofitted too late. It focuses on how leaders can design governance that enables innovation while protecting trust, compliance, and long-term scalability.

• Identify governance gaps that emerge when AI is deployed without clear oversight

• Design guardrails that enable safe experimentation rather than block innovation

• Improve trust by clarifying data, access, and usage boundaries across the organization