Sheffield’s Flagship Leadership Event Returns for Second Year

12th February 2026

Leadership Unleashed, an insightful and thought-provoking celebration of true leadership, returns to Sheffield on March 5, 2026. It invites both existing and aspiring leaders, along with anyone ready to explore what it means to lead with purpose.

Led by Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Leadership Unleashed is into its second year after a hugely successful inaugural event in 2025, where it sold out in under a week.

The one-day conference was the inspiration of SHEAF, an informal support group of senior female leaders in Sheffield and is led by SCCI and is supported by Headline Sponsor PWC.

Taking place between 1pm and 7pm at The Showroom in Sheffield, it aims to provide opportunities to meet and connect with a diverse network of forward-thinking leaders.

There is no audience, as each attendee forms part of the conference. Some participants share stories. Others come to listen, reflect honestly, and contribute to the conversation. But everyone participates and everyone adds value.

Louisa Harrison Walker OBE, Chief Executive of SCCI, said:

“Leadership is not bound by size of a company or organisation, or identified by sex or gender – it’s a skill that evolves and comes in all forms.

“We all need a safe, dynamic, energising space where this can be explored and after the feedback from last year, we realised that this should be an annual event with a legacy of shared learning put into practice.”

Sheffield and South Yorkshire are full of leaders carrying real responsibility and this event creates a rare, peer-level space for honest leadership stories, shared learning and relationship-building across boundaries.

David Schofield, Sustainability Director for Social Action & Sustainable Business at Aviva PLC, said:

“I had the privilege of standing shoulder to shoulder with some utterly amazing and hugely diverse leaders last year.

“Hearing their vulnerable powerful stories was genuinely inspiring and reminded me why we called this whole thing Leadership Unleashed. The unlimited potential is in there, sometimes we just need a bit of help from each other to let it out!”

Katz Kiely, CEO at Beep, works closely with the SCCI team to help organise and deliver Leadership Unleashed. She said:

“I’ve designed bold leadership experiences across the world, including at the UN, and I’m genuinely proud to be working with Sheffield Chamber and our steering committee on Leadership Unleashed. It feels very Sheffield and South Yorkshire to push the boundaries and create something that truly builds community.

“This is not a traditional conference. It is for people who carry responsibility. Senior decision makers, founders, change makers and those shaping organisations and systems, whether formally or informally. It is not about job titles or the size of your organisation. It is about how you show up and lead. Attending should be seen as a serious investment in CPD.

“We centre the day around real lived leadership stories. We invite people from any sector to apply, select the most powerful voices, and each shares a short, honest story. The audience then choose who they want to go deeper with. I have refined this format over many years. It works. It breaks down barriers and creates the conditions for trust, honesty and courage, so leaders connect as people, not just as roles, and build relationships that last.”

Leadership Unleashed does not intend to replace existing strategies, boards or programmes. It aims to strengthen them by investing in the relational foundations that allow systems to work better together.

Over time the Chamber team will collect and distill these learnings into a shared leadership manifesto that positions Sheffield and South Yorkshire as a thought leader. In doing so they intend to provide a different, and more sustainable way of working – one that is human, collaborative and grounded in relationships.

Organisers believe that Leadership Unleashed has the potential to become a nationally relevant flagship event, rooted in a region that has never been afraid to do things differently. It comes at a time when trust, collaboration and long-term thinking matter more than ever.

For more details about the conference and to submit a story, go to: 

Click here