Jess Tayel DrFounder, Transformation Leadership Institute · ● Change & Transformation Leaders Mentor ● C-Suite Coach & Advisor ● Senior Executive

Women in Change: The inspiration behind women in change

14 Mar 2025 · 1 min

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In this segment, the speaker—formerly Head of Change at the UK Ministry of Defence’s Strategic Command during 2021‑22—explains the origins of the Women in Change network. Initially, she created the network to expand her own limited circle of change managers within Strategic Command. As the initiative grew, she recognized a broader, systemic demand: many women working in change‑focused roles (including change managers, transformation directors, CEOs, lawyers, coaches, and mentors) were lacking opportunities for connection and professional networking. This realization became the driving force behind formally establishing the Women in Change network to address that unmet need.

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Back in 2021-22, I worked for Strategic Command, which is part of the Ministry of Defence in the UK, and I was Head of Change. And apart from the lack of change managers within Strategic Command, I was very conscious that my network of change managers, particularly in those leading change, wasn't brilliant. So really, I started it partly to increase my network. But then as it evolved, it became clear that it wasn't just about me doing that. It was actually something that was needed by a lot of women. And that really goes to the heart of why I discovered that there was a lot of people working in change, either as change managers, transformation directors, CEOs, lawyers, all kinds of coaches and mentors. They were craving something, and that was connection and networking. And so that really was the impetus for setting it up.