Clothes, confidence and the politics of what to wear to Parliament (with guest Baroness Tina Stowell)

Dahlia is joined by Baroness Tina Stowell. From Downing Street to the House of Lords to leading major institutions, Tina has spent her career doing something most people underestimate: reading a room, building trust, and getting people to move together. They talk about the human side of leadership, why being underestimated can be an advantage, and how presentation — from tone to clothing — shapes the way power is received. Tina shares the behind the scenes on her promotion to lead the House of Lords and how what she wore has been part of her success to get her where she is today. Baroness Stowell of Beeston MBE Tina Stowell grew up in a working-class family living in a small East Midlands industrial town, and left school at sixteen determined to make her way as a brilliant secretary - taking the role of a secretary at the Ministry of Defence. She became the Leader of the House of Lords. The real story about Tina isn’t where she began, but why she succeeded and how far it’s taken her. She’s been underestimated and forced to prove herself more often than she can remember. But her record of achievement is remarkable and in a career that’s included roles in DowningStreet, Washington, the BBC and Parliament, her method consistent: she’s fixed tough problems by understanding the people involved, respecting differentperspectives, and finding common ground. She is renowned for ‘getting things done’ and surpassing expectations when faced with ‘impossible’ challenges: from leading equal marriage legislation through the House of Lords against the odds; preventing foreign governments from owning or controlling British news organisations; to leading efforts to rebuild public trust in the charity sector during her tenure as Chair of the Charity Commission. She has spentdecades bringing unlikely people together to achieve unexpected results in times of great upheaval, receiving numerous awards for her work. In recent years, alongside her commitments in the House of Lords, she has sat on the Boards of ABTA and Impellam Group plc and has been a Social Mobility Commissioner since2023. She now shares lessons from how she has bridged divides to make change happen as a keynote speaker – to help other leaders do the same in these times of political and technological disruption, polarisation, low trust,and high demands. To find out more about Tina and to book her to speak visit her website: www.tinastowell.co.uk