Join us – and do bring a guest – for a fun and lively evening with Sandra Davis, Partner in Mishcon de Reya’s family team, and a panel of inspirational women who will share their personal stories of navigating midlife to drive change, contribute to society, and embark on new adventures. Whether it’s a career change, the pursuit of a new passion, or giving back to society, women over 50 can get out there and just do it!

Participate in the discussion, ask questions, and learn from these incredible women who are inspiring change.

Plus have fun and chat over a glass of wine and nibbles!  Bring a friend too!

Our panellists are:

Melanie Cantor

Melanie started her career working in theatre PR on shows including CATS, ANNIE and MY FAIR LADY. Towards the end of 1982, she was headhunted to be press officer at TV-am which launched in February 1983 with the ‘Famous Five’ but left in April 1984 to start her own PR company. She worked with clients from Adam Ant, Angela Rippon, Selina Scott to Michael Parkinson and Michael Aspel as well as magazines including New Woman, OK! and Tatler.

In 1991 she turned her hand to becoming an agent representing Ulrika Jonsson for seventeen years from weather person to Shooting Stars and beyond. In 1998 she teamed up with two other agents to start Take Three Management. Here she represented Melinda Messenger, Julia Carling among several others. She also went on to look after Melanie Sykes.

In 2008 she gave it all up in order to start a second life career and pursue her passion: writing novels. It took ten years, four manuscripts and hundreds of rejections before she finally landed an agent in 2018. Her first book Death & Other Happy Endings (which became Life & Other Happy Endings as a paperback during the pandemic) was sold to eleven territories including US, China, Portugal, Israel, Czech Republic and Sweden. Her second book The F**k It! List will be published by Penguin on 9 May 2024. She is represented by Felicity Blunt at Curtis Brown.

Alongside these two careers, Melanie hosted a television show in 2004 called Making Space where she tidied up people’s messy houses (a forerunner to Marie Kondo!) The show of 25 episodes was broadcast by Channel 4. It is still shown on demand on All 4. She was also scouted to be a real model for two Dove campaigns. No underwear was seen.

Melanie has two grown up sons and lives between Dorset and London with her dog Mabel.

Emma Hague

Emma is an entrepreneur who successfully exited her business and now focuses on putting back in many ways, from Angel investments, to co investments with other like minded family offices, helping other businesses reach their goals and supporting charities close to her heart. A senior advisor, shadow CEO, board member, non executive director, patron to various charities and mentor for people that align with her beliefs.

Prior to her current roles Emma was CEO running her human data analytics business, focusing on healthcare aimed to primarily understanding and improve patient care. The business was subsequently purchased by IQVIA a leading global provider of advanced analytics to the life sciences industry.
Emma’s early career was in the pharmaceutical world where she performed various roles across the business enabling her to fully understand this side of healthcare.

She has a degree in Biology from Southampton University and has many hobbies involving outdoor pursuits, as well as boxing and cars.

Eleanor Mills

Eleanor is an award-winning editor, writer and broadcaster. She worked for The Sunday Times for 23 years as Editorial Director, Editor of The Sunday Times Magazine, and as a columnist and interviewer (interrogating everyone from Mikhail Gorbachev to Sheryl Sandberg and Theresa May).

As Chair of Women in Journalism (2014 – 2021) she argued that the media must be a true mirror, not a distorting lens, which is what happens if decision makers are not diverse. She is a trustee of the Society of Editors, a board member of Reporters Sans Frontiers and her publications include Cupcakes and Kalashnikovs: 100 Years of the Best Journalism by Women, published by Hachette.

As Founder of Noon.org.uk a new platform for women in midlife (she calls them Queenagers) she is passionate about changing the narrative society tells about the later stages of female lives to one more fit for purpose.  Noon Consulting helps some of the world’s biggest brands communicate authentically with their underserved Queenager audience.

She is working on her first novel ‘Much More To Come: The new must-read guide for surviving and thriving in midlife’ which is due to be released on 1 August 2024. She lives in London with her husband and two teenage daughters.

Linda Plant

Linda built her career from humble beginnings to become one of Britain’s most recognisable business leaders and is now empowering others to successfully start and run their own companies with Linda Plant Business Academy, including her signature Business Blueprint Course, to help as many people as she can during these difficult times.

After leaving school at 16, Linda progressed from selling fashion on a Leeds market stall to launching an international knitwear brand, Honeysuckle in the process becoming one of the first women to head a fashion company flotation on the London Stock Market. As a pioneering female business leader, she worked in a series of challenging executive roles, building and running successful companies. Today, in addition to the Linda Plant Business Academy, she also runs property development and interior design businesses.

You might also know her as one of the interviewers on BBC1’s The Apprentice, providing advice to Lord Sugar for over 5 series. Her passion for business and entrepreneurship has also been recognised with several business awards and she is also a panellist and judge, including of top female entrepreneurs for HSBC’s Panel of Forward Ladies and a Prince’s Trust Mentor.

Barbara Weiss

Barbara Weiss was born in Milan in 1954, where she attended Italian schools before spending one year at the Ecole d’Architecture in Geneva. She then transferred to the Architectural Association in London, obtaining her AA Diploma in 1979. She became a member of the RIBA in 1985.

Early work experiences include periods spent at design offices such as Philip Johnson-John Burgee, and Richard Meier in New York; Valle Broggi Burckhardt in Milan; and two most formative phases at Stirling Wilford and Associates in London, first as a student and later as project architect working on large scale buildings and a new town in Italy.

Prior to founding BWA in 1987, Barbara Weiss taught part-time at the Architectural Association. She is also the co-author of two books, including Storage, an international best-seller!, and Do it with an Architect – written with Louis Hellman and aimed at bridging the gap between domestic clients and the profession.

An Assessor for the Civic Trust since 1997, Barbara was appointed as a CABE Design Review panellist for Schools in 2007, and as a judge for the AYA awards in 2012. She is also very involved in mentoring potential young architects for the Social Mobility Foundation, and in tutoring 6th formers from state schools on behalf of The Access Project.

Chaired by Sandra Davis

Sandra is Partner in Mishcon de Reya’s family team, with over 40 years’ experience of family law practice. She specialises in complex high net worth and ultra high net worth cases, often with an international element and involving tax and trust issues, substantial business assets and partnerships, disputes concerning children and pre- and post-nuptial settlements. Her career highlights have included representation of the Princess of Wales, Jerry Hall, Thierry Henry and Tamara Mellon. She is proud to be named as one of the Top 100 Lawyers and one of the Top 50 women in the London Super Lawyers directory. Outside of work, Sandra’s interests include theatre, art, photography, travel, public speaking, and mentoring. With her extensive experience of managing conflict in families, she aims to provide holistic wrap around help to those experiencing family breakdown, and is excited to contribute to the Circle Square community.