On 27 and 28  June 2023, a group of like-minded scholars participated in the first of three sessions that focused on women, leadership, development and public policy at the International Conference on Public Policy, held at the Toronto Metropolitan University. Professor Gerda van Dijk, Director of the School of Public Management and Administration, together with Dr David Foreman from King's College of London developed a panel discussion titled: Women's voices in public policy development: moving beyond representation.

The panel focused on the following objectives:

• Where are women found? Women’s agency and its portrayal in policy development.
• Where women practice their gender? Examples of women’s participation in policy development and their lived experiences.
• Where women lead? Exploring how women contribute to leadership discourse in influencing public policy development.

During the subsequent 3 sessions spread over two days, presentations from across the globe were heard and robust discussion took place. Discussions focused on the interesting phenomena of local women exercising their agency through co-production and collaboration. Leadership was demonstrated at every level of society and was not considered the sole domain of those in powerful positions. The importance of context in understanding the intersectional experiences of women led the scholars to decide on two important outcomes for the panel, namely:

• Submit a collective proposal around funding for research on women-driven public-private projects
• Ensure the appropriate distribution of these important studies through the means of a special edition of a journal or book to be driven by the panel chairs.

This fruitful panel aims to convene on an annual basis to continue fostering long-lasting connections and create valuable experiences from across the globe.