This years inspiring speakers
Angela Bergin
Astrid Blee
Julia Pichler
Karen Gaunt
Chisom Anyanebechi
Karolina Barrett
Diana Rusu
Raquel Horta
Maïa Dunphy
Vicky Poole
Angela Bergin
Towers and Tide
Still Human: Coaching Your Edge in the Age of AI
Do you worry that AI is coming for your role? Do you wonder what's left when the dashboards and status updates build themselves? As project and portfolio managers' operational work automates, the leaders who thrive will master the human element. Join this talk for a look at the human skills project delivery still can't do without, hear real advice pulled from my Career Wisdom survey of project leaders, and input into my 3-part coaching framework for where AI adds value, and where you do.
Angela is a former Senior Vice President of Global Strategy and Transformation in a FinTech, where she led the $35m technology stream of an acquisition. 2022 Image Media/PwC Digital & Technology Businesswoman of the Year, she now coaches senior professionals at Towers and Tide.
Astrid Blee
Th3rdcurve
Bridging the Gap: The Power of Storytelling in Complex Programme Delivery
As programmes become increasingly complex and AI reshapes how we work, how do we bridge the gap between information, understanding and action? This session explores the power of storytelling, audience engagement and effective decision communication in cutting through complexity. We'll challenge the illusion of control and explore how clearer, more compelling communication can influence decisions, align stakeholders and ultimately drive better programme outcomes.
A digital consultant with a PhD in Physics, Astrid Blee combines technical expertise with a passion for communication and effective decision-making. With experience spanning academia, IT and major construction programmes, she brings a cross-sector perspective to complex delivery environments. Her work focuses on transforming complex data into clear, compelling narratives that support strategic decisions, improve programme performance and bridge the gap between information and action.
Chisom Anyanebechi
Dell Technologies
The 21st Century Program Manager: Why Documenting Your Work Online is Part of the Job
The program manager's job hasn't changed on paper, but visibility now shapes careers as much as delivery does. As a Technical Program Manager at Dell, and Dell Ireland's first Internal Brand Ambassador, I have spent two years documenting what it actually looks like to lead programs today, including as an AI augmented program manager. This presentation shares what has shifted for today's program manager, how to build visibility without risking your job, and a practical starting point to do the same.
Chisom Anyanebechi is a Technical Program Manager at Dell & Dell Ireland's First Internal Brand Ambassador. She built a personal brand from scratch while leading complex programs, with no shortcuts, just consistency. She now documents what it looks like to lead as an AI augmented Technical Program Manager.
Seeing What Others Miss: The Strategic Advantage of Systems Thinking in an AI-Disrupted World
Diana Rusu
Adobe
What if the biggest risk to your project isn't to do with the project itself, but the knock-on effect it has on everything it is connected to? With AI accelerating the pace of change and reshaping how we work, interdependence matters more than ever. This talk explores how systems thinking helps you spot hidden dependencies, anticipate unintended consequences, and make better decisions in complex environments, multiplying your impact.
Diana is a strategic programme leader with experience delivering data-driven impact, automation and scale across global tech organisations. She is passionate about how people, processes and technology interact, and how these systems shape organisational performance. She is also a certified coach and mentor, and the founder of work-life wellbeing consultancy tired.less.
Julia Pichler
DHL European Air Transport
From Mentee to Leader: Building and Sustaining Portfolio Management in Aviation
At 26, Julia joined an airline to help build portfolio management across 140+ projects. With the support of a mentor and senior leader, she introduced governance, prioritisation and strategic portfolio reviews that reshaped decision-making. Then her mentor left. What happens when the person who helped open doors is no longer there? This session shares an honest account of sustaining change, earning trust and finding the confidence to lead without formal authority.
Julia Pichler is a Project & Portfolio Manager at DHL European Air Transport. She oversees cross-functional portfolio management, supports strategic prioritization and governance, and leads transformation and IT projects. She holds degrees in Innovation Management and International Business Management.
Karen Gaunt
Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration
Projects Deliver Outputs. People Deliver Outcomes.
Why Project Success Depends on People.
Projects deliver outputs, but people determine whether those outputs become lasting outcomes. Project Management and Change Management are complementary disciplines, yet bringing them together is not always straightforward. We would like to use this opportunity to share our experience, the challenges we continue to face, and the practical lessons we are learning as we build Change Management capability alongside an established Project Management Office.
Karen is helping to build and embed Change Management across a diverse portfolio of projects and programmes. She is particularly interested in strengthening the relationship between Project Management and Change Management, and the role people play in successful delivery.
Karolina Barrett
Deloitte
What We Got Wrong About Change
We thought the project plan would determine the success of our deployment. We were wrong. Leading a technology rollout across 1,300 professionals challenged our assumptions about resistance, leadership and even the deployment strategy itself. This session shares how changing our thinking—not just our plan—turned a programme that was behind schedule into the first completed deployment in our European network, and why the biggest decisions in transformation rarely appear on the project plan.
Karolina Barrett is a Change & Adoption Lead at Deloitte specialising in large-scale technology transformation. She led the deployment of new Deloitte audit platforms across 1,300 professionals and combines project leadership with behavioural science to help organisations deliver change at scale.
Raquel Horta
Partnium Services
Power Skills: The Human Edge for Success
Power skills get dismissed as vague, "soft," and impossible to measure. This session flips that narrative. You will learn practical ways to assess power skills, connect personal growth to project outcomes, and prove real ROI. Walk away knowing which power skills matter most, how to measure them, and how to turn results into targeted development plans. Power skills aren't nice-to-have. They are measurable, and they are your competitive edge.
With 25 years across project & program management, software development, and Chief of Staffwork, Raquel Horta knows power skills separate good PMs from great leaders. As a Personal & Professional Coach, she helps project and program managers build the influence, confidence, and presence organisations need.
Maïa Dunphy
Conference MC
Maïa Dunphy is a writer and broadcaster who stepped in front of the camera after over a decade writing and producing behind it. She has authored 12 documentaries on RTE and appeared on many shows from The Late Late Show to Dancing With the Stars, and was a finalist in the first ever Irish Celebrity MasterChef. She cooks better than she dances. Since 2020 Maia has presented three consecutive seasons of the hit RTE1 series ‘What Planet Are You On?’ and in 2024 took over as co-host of Zoo Live.
She has ghostwritten over the years, including the legendary Mr. Tayto autobiography The Man Inside the Jacket which famously kept former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern off the Christmas No.1 spot in the 2009 book charts. Her first book written under her own name, The M Word, was nominated for an Irish Book Award, and Maia has been a regular columnist over the years for many publications including The Sunday Independent, The Irish Times, Image Magazine, The Dubliner, the Irish Independent Magazine, State, The Sun and Herald and among others.
She is a supporter and ambassador for many charities including the Hospice, the Irish Cancer Society, the Dogs Trust and others.
Vicky Poole
Host
Vicky is the founder of WWPPM and a driving force behind the community. Alongside her role at Program Management Information Services (PMIS), she leads the planning and delivery of WWPPM, ensuring every event provides an engaging, high-quality experience for speakers, sponsors, and attendees alike.
As the primary point of contact for many of our speakers and partners, Vicky works closely with contributors to develop inspiring, practical sessions, supporting both established experts and first-time speakers in sharing their knowledge with confidence.
Passionate about championing women in project management, Vicky is dedicated to creating opportunities for connection, knowledge sharing, and professional growth, while helping to inspire the next generation of project management leaders.