We are proud to announce that UN Women UK has confirmed Gina Buckney as a participant at the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) at the United Nations in 2026.
This marks Gina’s third year supporting UN Women UK ,and the global gender equality agenda at CSW — and her most focused yet.
For 2026, Gina’s campaign centres firmly on two urgent issues within corporate Britain and beyond:
-
Increasing the number of women and girls entering Technology and Engineering, and the wider STEM movement.
-
Accelerating progress on equal pay
This is not theoretical advocacy. It is lived experience, backed by corporate leadership at the highest level.
From Engineering Leadership to Global Advocacy
Long before she became a 2x TEDx speaker and corporate transformation expert, Gina built her career in some of the UK’s most male-dominated environments — Finance, Telecoms, Infrastructure and Engineering.
By her mid-twenties, she was leading over 140 field engineers in South Liverpool for BT Openreach. Shortly after, she became the youngest Contract Director in her division at BT Group, responsible for £450m financial services contracts and leading teams across the UK and India.
She understands — deeply — what it feels like to:
-
Be the only woman in the room
-
Have your competence tested before your credibility is accepted
-
Deliver results while navigating bias
And she understands something else: women belong in Tech and Engineering.
Not as tokens.
Not as diversity statistics.
But as leaders.
Why Tech & Engineering?
While STEM conversations are broad for UN Women UK, Gina has deliberately narrowed her focus to Technology and Engineering — industries she knows intimately.
The UK continues to face:
-
A significant gender imbalance in engineering roles
-
Talent shortages in cyber, infrastructure and digital transformation
-
Persistent pay gaps across technical disciplines
Organisations repeatedly state that innovation depends on diverse thinking — yet the pipeline into technical careers for girls remains fragile.
At CSW70, Gina’s advocacy will focus on:
-
Corporate responsibility in building visible female technical leaders
-
Mentorship pathways for girls considering engineering careers
-
Board-level accountability on pay transparency
-
Reframing technical careers as powerful, creative and financially empowering
This is not about performative diversity.
It is about economic strength, national competitiveness and fairness.
Equal Pay: The Commercial Imperative
Equal pay is not simply a moral issue. It is a business performance issue.
Organisations that fail to address pay equity face:
-
Retention challenges
-
Brand erosion
-
Reduced engagement
-
Legal and reputational risk
As a corporate insider turned transformation partner, Gina speaks the language executives understand: performance, profitability and future-proofing.
At CSW70, for UN Women UK, she will continue championing:
-
Data transparency
-
Measurable accountability
-
Leadership ownership of pay gap reduction
-
Linking pay equity to talent strategy
Because equality cannot sit in HR policy documents alone. It must sit in board strategy.
Turning Global Dialogue into Corporate Action
Participation at the United Nations is not a badge. It is a responsibility.
Gina’s commitment to UN Women UK, following CSW70 includes:
-
Translating global discussions into actionable corporate briefings
-
Delivering keynote talks and panels focused on women in Tech & Engineering
-
Supporting organisations in building future female technical leaders
-
Advising on power skills required for women to advance in technical careers
As Founder of Your People Power, she bridges policy, psychology and performance — ensuring conversations do not end in New York, but convert into measurable workplace impact across the UK and internationally.
A Defining Moment
Twenty years ago, women in senior technical positions were often advised to shrink, soften or silence parts of themselves to succeed.
That era is over.
The future of Technology and Engineering requires visible, confident, commercially astute women who lead boldly and are paid fairly for doing so.
CSW70 represents another milestone in Gina Buckney’s ongoing mission to ensure women and girls do not just enter technical industries — but thrive and rise within them.
Organisations wishing to partner with Gina Buckney for:
-
International Women’s Day 2026
-
Women in Tech events
-
Engineering leadership panels
-
Equal pay strategy briefings
-
Executive keynotes and transformation programmes
are invited to contact the Your People Power team via:
info@yourpeoplepower.org
Find out more about International Women’s Day and what our team of expert Delivery Partners can offer, here.