IWD Keynote speaker: Give to gain
How Women Can Cash In On The Decade They’ve Already Paid For
IWD KEYNOTE 2026
Give To Gain: The Bold New Decade For Women’s Leadership Returns
Women spend decades investing in their careers - delivering results, holding organisations together and absorbing invisible labour through every economic cycle.
Midlife should be the decade where those investments finally pay out. For most women, it isn’t. As their biology shifts so do their careers, often getting bubble-wrapped in self-protection and risk preservation at the exact moment leadership ROI should peak.
‘Give to Gain - How Women Can Cash In On The Decade They’ve Already Paid For’ is the exclusive keynote that builds on the ‘Give To Gain’ theme for International Women’s Day 2026, delivered by the fearless and formidable IWD keynote speaker, Fiona McKay.
Watch Fiona’s Speaker showreel
Why book fiona to speaK?
Most IWD talks inspire. Very few solve.
Fiona blends story, strategy and solution into one keynote, giving women practical ways to collect the leadership returns they’ve already earned.
What is THIS IWD Keynote About?
It reframes midlife as the most economically valuable decade in a woman’s leadership life - the decade she’s already paid for, and shows women in the current and proceeding decades on how to collect on their career capital.
Part story, part strategy and part solution, Fiona combines lived experience as C-suite leader and founder with the NOPAUSE™ approach she created to help top women leaders make ROI-positive returns about performance, promotion, progression and power so they can both lead and live without limits.
“It’s killer keynote of choice for organisations with one IWD budget for women at different stages of their leadership journey.”
Who is This IWD Keynote For?
Organisations booking one keynote for women across decades:
Women in their 30s building career capital
Women in their 40s ready to convert it
Women in their 50s ready to collect it
Women leaders from mid-manager to C-suite level
Female founders & entrepreneurs
Women on succession & promotion tracks
Women’s networks, workplaces & membership communities.
What WILL Audiences Gain?
Women leave with the language, strategy and conviction to:
Turn midlife careers into a leadership ROI decade
Convert their experience into influence & returns whatever career decade they are in
Protect promotability through maternity, menopause and midlife inflection points
Interrupt hesitation, self-silencing and risk aversion
Make ROI-positive decisions about their progression & visibility
Use NOPAUSE™ principles to maintain their power and personal stewardship over their leadership lives
Deploy a multi-award winning protocol to lead and live without limits.
additional IWD delivery formats include:
IWD keynote (in-person or virtual)
Fireside conversation
Panel (contributor or moderator)
Virtual masterclass
VT segment for IWD programming
Event hosting or chairing.
Get in touch today to ascertain Fiona’s availability and rate card along with your event format of choice.
KEYNOTE speaker of the year
Fiona has been recognised by the Women’s Business Club as an outstanding and compelling impact speaker and a powerful voice for women around the world as winner of Women’s Keynote Speaker of the Year.
Fiona is a featured expert in The Financial Times, The Guardian, Sunday Express, The Independent, OK Magazine and is a an expert broadcaster on the BBC, ITV and International News Channels.
Her Awards & Accolades Include:
Global Pharma Best Menopause Strategy & Leadership Consultancy Winner 2026
Global Pharma Best Executive Performance & Wellbeing UK Excellence Award 2026
Most Influential Women’s Health and Career Support Business Women 2025
Business Advisor of The Year 2025
Global 100 Excellence Award in M&A 2025
Career Coach of The Year 2025
Menopause Champion of The Year
Women's Keynote Speaker of The Year
Top 250 Global Influencer in FemTech
SheerLuxe's 12 Most Influential Women in Business Today
Winner of The Innospace Outstanding Entrepreneur Award
Winner of Business Coaching Service of The Year.
About fiona Mckay - IWD keynote speaker
Fiona McKay relishes speaking today just as much as she did when she started over 20 years ago as a keynote speaker, sharing her life-long passion for the subjects which she holds closest to her heart – gender equity and equal career capital for women leaders.
Call them inspirational, call them motivational, Fiona’s speeches compel her audiences to see things from a different perspective, challenge them to ask difficult questions of themselves and motivate them to achieve change.
Her natural and unaffected style really resonates with listeners, and her messages of transition and improvement, never fail to win approval, accolades and acclaim.
Fiona doesnt just talk about business leadership and strategy. She delivers it daily, and is a working CEO of Lightbulb Leadership Solutions and its sister company The Menopause Maze™.
Fiona is the peak performance strategist the world’s top 1% women leaders have on speed-dial. She works directly with elite women leaders in the world’s biggest brands and boldest boardrooms in the UK, US and beyond.
Resources
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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No!
Give to Gain is about leadership returns and midlife career economics. Fiona draws on her own experience navigating menopause, but the talk speaks to women at different decades and stages.
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Yes!
Many pair the keynote with a fireside conversation, panel discussion, podcast or virtual masterclass.
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Both.
Fiona is represented by speaker bureaus and has a talent agent in the UK & US. She also accepts direct bookings and corporate enquiries.
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Yes.
Virtual delivery is available worldwide.
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Yes!
Through her personal brand Fiona advises Executive Women and Women Leaders in UHNW families and family offices.
For women and workplaces looking for bespoke menopause career coaching, leadership development and data diagnostics she provides this through our sister company The Menopause Maze.
Speaker & Talent Agents
Fiona is represented by:
Where does Fiona Speak?
Fiona is available for virtual and physical stages, at conferences, meetings, live streams, events and awards ceremonies. She is a seasoned and trusted panel and event host, media contributor in live TV & Radio and in pre-records, VT’s and podcasts.
TV & MEDIA
Fiona is a seasoned media contributor, broadcaster, conference chair and panel host. She is a sought-after women’s leadership, menopause contributor and commentator on live TV, radio and on podcasts.
TO BOOK FIONA DIRECTLY FOR SPEAKING, PODCASTS AND MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW:
Testimonials
Keynote Speaker review:
Gwyn March – CPD Consultant and Honorary Fellow of the IPA (trade body for the advertising industry)
“Fiona was very highly recommended by a major advertising network and now having seen her in action – I can see why!”
Keynote Speaker review:
Rachel Forde, UK CEO of UN.
“Listening to Fiona talk is always an inspiration; I always feel invigorated and I always take something away.”
“We booked Fiona to speak at our recent Women’s Leadership Conference which I chaired. She gave us a really insightful and straightforward glimpse into what it takes to build a successful business as a female entrepreneur. Fiona is inspiring and accessible, and gave our delegates great tips and tools on how to be a successful leader. I enjoyed working with her and I recommend her to any conference chair or event organiser looking for a super speaker.”
Professor Abigail Gregory, Associate Dean Internationalisation & Director Athena SWAN, University of Salford
“Fiona is a dynamic and fascinating keynote speaker, and she is also very valuable as a host for panel and interactive discussions. She has hosted a number at conferences I have organised, and they have always been a great success. The engagement levels she encourages, her personable approach and the knowledge of her topic always means that people ask many questions and ask to get in touch with her after the session is over! She is a very impressive business-person who inspires you to do more, be better and to think more innovatively.”
Victoria Chatterton, Brand Strategy Director, Informa Connect
Broadcasting and Expert Commentary
Fiona McKay - Radio City Talk
Fiona speaking on Radio City Talk, about the Gender Pay Gap reporting in the UK and her research for the #FeedbackFirst campaign.
FIONA MCKAY SPEAKS TO ITV ON THE SCANDALOUS HRT SHORTAGES
Fiona speaks exclusively to ITV News on the scandalous HRT supply issue in the UK with The Minster for Primary Care, Maria Caulfied MP being asked to reply.
“Fiona is honestly one of the best speakers I have ever seen - I have never seen a large audience connect with a speaker like that before. She was so earnest, authentic and passionate. I was truly captivated and could have listened to her talk all night. The way she encouraged and enabled the attendees to interact with her and each other was inspiring and the reason why I set up High Flying Women in the first place. I look forward to working with Fiona again in the future”
Bethan Jepson
High Flying Women
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