Women from across Brighton’s hospitality community gathered to celebrate International Women’s Day with a sold-out session from leadership coach Madeleine Geach.
Watch a few moments from the evening here.
You can also browse and download photos from the night here.
On Monday night we hosted our third annual event to celebrate International Women’s Day and the women shaping our local hospitality industry.
More than 70 women from across Brighton’s hospitality community joined us for the evening at Helm Gallery, coming together to connect, share experiences and celebrate the brilliant work happening across the sector.
A Workshop with Madeleine Geach
This year the evening centred around an inspiring session delivered by award-winning hospitality coach Madeleine Geach (@thegoodlifecoaching). I met Madeleine last year through our mutual friend Stella Gurney (Woodfire Camping) and was immediately impressed by the support she offers founders and senior teams across the hospitality industry. She has worked with hospitality leaders including Angela Hartnett, Ottolenghi, Hawksmoor and The Quality Chop House, among many others.
When we approached Madeleine with the idea of speaking to our local Women in Hospitality network, we were delighted that she embraced our inclusive approach – welcoming women from across the industry and at every stage of their careers. We loved the idea of helping our community access training and insight that might otherwise feel out of reach. A win all round.
A very special thank you to Madeleine, whose session was a goldmine of practical and inspiring ideas. Focusing on the tiny habits that can help us navigate leadership, protect our energy and celebrate our achievements was incredibly uplifting. She encouraged the room to share experiences and making strong connections along the way.
The idea of keeping a “brag file” was a particular favourite – one of many practices we’ll be adding to our collective toolkit. In fact, many guests were putting her ideas into practice before they had even left the room.
At a time when the hospitality industry continues to face significant challenges, it was energising to see such positivity and openness in the room. Attendees can DM Madeleine for the slides via @thegoodlifecoaching.
Women in Hospitality
While women remain under-represented in hospitality – particularly at founder and senior leadership levels – it was wonderful to celebrate the successes happening locally. Brighton, Hove and Sussex are home to outstanding female executive chefs, head chefs and sous chefs, as well as inspiring founders, operators and front-of-house leaders. We took a moment together to recognise and celebrate those achievements.
You can also read our 2026 Women in Hospitality interviews here.
Event Details
The event was hosted at Helm Gallery in the heart of the North Laine, where the unique and beautiful space is matched by the energy and professionalism of the team. We were incredibly grateful that they agreed to host us.
Surrounded by stunning art and brilliant women, our sponsor Fourth and Church welcomed guests with exceptional wines made by renowned female winemakers:
Filipa Pato Blanc de Blancs ‘3B’ – clean and crisp with apples, soft citrus and delicate orange blossom.
Elisa Freire Lobo Dão Vigno Branco 2024 – white flowers, dried herbs with citrus-drenched pear and apple flavours.
Fourth and Church’s Anna Reilly spoke about the wines she had chosen, as well as Curious Vines, a women-in-wine network celebrating female winemakers and connecting women who love wine. If you’d like to know more, feel free to DM Anna via @4nna.reilly.
We were also joined by colleagues from the University of Brighton, with whom we are collaborating on a sustainability project. They spoke with attendees about their research into women-only professional networks.
After the session, guests stayed to chat and enjoy delicious snacks from Amber Sterck’s excellent Bayon Bakery.
Join our Network
Seeing this community grow year after year – with chefs, founders, marketers, front-of-house teams and creatives all in the room together – is something we’re incredibly proud of.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for such a special evening. We’re already looking forward to bringing this network together again soon.
If you’d like to be part of the next Women in Hospitality event, keep an eye on our channels for upcoming announcements or email hello@restaurantsbrighton.co.uk for more information.