Here’s What Happened at the WOTC Big Beauty Summit 2022

Love Island stars Lucinda Strafford and Liberty Poole and the longest-standing First Lady of Belize Kim Simplis Barrow are among those who were in attendance at the event. From practical takeaways to inspiring quotes, here's everything to know…

WOTC held its annual women's conference, the Big Beauty Summit 2022 at the iconic Hotel Café Royal in their breathtaking Pompadour Ballroom, which opened out to a beautiful pillared outdoor terrace overlooking London's distinctive home of fashion, dining, wellness and lifestyle: Regent Street. 

The morning kicked off with their purple carpet hosted by WOTC features editor Beverley Martins, who welcomed and interviewed guests including Lucinda Strafford, Liberty Poole and Akash Mehta of Fable & Mane and sounds by international DJ, Furmzy. 

The aim of the summit? To inspire, educate and share insights and advice, whilst creating new opportunities and partnerships. 

Hosted by the WOTC team including editor-in-chief Phadria Prendergast, features editor Beverley Martins who spoke to guests on the ‘purple carpet,’ and political editor Mika Abrahams. 

The jam-packed schedule saw several WOTC Editors join leading beauty and thought leaders to hold insightful panel discussions, which included fun breakout sessions over the course of the day.

The most anticipated panel of the day? Lessons in Leadership, which saw First Lady of Belize Kim Simplis Barrow and Europe’s most influential thought-leader and philanthropist Pastor Tobi, deliver powerful key-note speeches. The panel was led by editor-in-chief Phadria Prendergast who was dressed in 16Arlington for the occasion. 

A close second was the ‘Pitch Your Beauty Business,’ panel which allowed four female founders the opportunity to pitch their business LIVE for their chance to win a £10,000 fund to help kick-start their business and 12 months’ worth of mentorship with a beauty leader. In the end, the fund was equally awarded to all four female founders and 3 months’ worth of mentorship each. 

Other panels included Beauty Influencing 101 which featured skin activist Kadeeja Sel Khan and Snapchat’s Hannah Fisayo; How to Build a Global Beauty Brand which featured Blink Brow’s Vanita Parti, and former as well as former beauty PR gurus Michelle Boon, founder of Seen Group and Michelle Feeney of Floral Street

Guests took home a goody bag full of their beauty favourites from WOTC sponsors who included REN, Benefit and Eylure.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Big Beauty Summit, and to those who missed it, subscribe to find out about our next event.