Boardroom Unlocked · Ascent First Anniversary Summit
Boardroom Unlocked: The Visibility and Access Summit for African Female Executives Ready to Claim Their Board Seat
The gap between where you are now and a board seat is more of visibility and access than a great CV. At Boardroom Unlocked , the women and men who know exactly how board appointments happen in Africa are going to tell you everything.
Date
Thursday, 30 July 2026
Time
6PM WAT
Format
Virtual • 3 hours
Access
Free
Meet The Speakers
Our lineup includes board chairs, sitting NEDs, executive search leaders, and Ascent members whose journeys speak for themselves.
Boardroom
Unlocked
63% of directors agree there are equally qualified women and men available for African board roles.
Source: World Bank research on corporate board representation.
The barrier is not your credentials. It never was.
Research, including extensive studies by the World Bank, confirms there is no qualification gap that explains the gender representation gap on African corporate boards.
In fact, women who do make it to the boardroom tend to hold higher formal qualifications than their male counterparts. The system demands more from women just to be considered.
The real barrier is structural. It’s the conversations that happen before a seat is ever publicly announced. It’s knowing the right people, being in the right rooms, and being visible in the right ways. Qualifications get you to the door. Visibility and access get you through it.
Boardroom Unlocked pulls back the curtain on all of it.
What is Boardroom Unlocked?
Boardroom Unlocked is a free, virtual summit marking the one year anniversary of Ascent Club, the premium visibility launchpad for African and diaspora female executives ready to step into board roles, land global speaking engagements, and become recognized industry voices.
For three hours, we bring together board chairs, NEDs, executive search leaders, and Ascent members who have cracked the code on African corporate board access, and we put everything on the table. In three hours, you will learn:
- How board appointments really happen and what occurs before any public announcement
- What nominations committees look for that they never say out loud
- The visibility mistakes most qualified women make without realising it
- The difference between networking and building real access
- How to position advisory roles as a strategic stepping stone to the board
- Real journeys from Ascent members who are already on this path right now and who have already crossed to the other side
What To Expect
01
Keynote
The Unwritten Rules: How Board Appointments Really Happen
A candid, inside account from a board chair of a listed pan-African company on what nominations committees really look for and what makes a candidate impossible to overlook.
02
Leadership Panel
Visibility, Access and The Doors That Don’t Advertise
A 3-person panel consisting of a sitting NED, an executive search professional, and a female executive who recently made the transition from executive to board. An honest, practical, and direct conversation on LinkedIn visibility, strategic networking and confidence building as a female leader.
03
Fireside Chat
One Woman’s Board Journey, Unfiltered
An Ascent member in conversation with a prominent African female board director on the journey, the lessons and the challenges of boardroom culture.
04
Community
Ascent One Year Showcase
Ascent members speak on their board journey and the shift from invisible executive to board member. These women are the mirror for every woman watching.
Who This Is For
This evening is for you if;
You are a mid-to-senior executive in Africa or the diaspora and a board seat is on your horizon
You have the qualifications but not the map for how board appointments actually work
You have been waiting for the right moment, the right introduction, or the right room
You want to hear from women who are on this journey right now, not just women who finished it a decade ago
Your Seat is Free. Reserve it Now.
1,000 female executives across Africa will be in this room. Be one of them.
About Ascent Club
Ascent Club is a premium visibility launchpad for African and diaspora female executives ready to step into board roles, land global speaking engagements, and become recognized industry voices.
Founded by Visibility and Thought Leadership Coach, Dr. Glory Edozien, Ascent leverages high-impact visibility coaching, board advisory opportunities, curated thought leadership features, and a powerful executive network to help you go from overlooked to in-demand.
Boardroom Unlocked marks Ascent’s one year of building Africa’s female leadership pipeline, celebrating what our members have made possible, and opening the door to what comes next.
