Engaging Men as Allies

Published on December 18, 2024 by Rebecca Fountain

Engaging Men As Allies 2026 Programme

The Continuing Need to Engage Men

Many studies have shown that gender balance in the workplace is critical to optimising the potential of an organisation’s workforce and delivers real business growth. 

However, progress towards gender equality seems to be stalled globally as well as in Ireland. While women and underrepresented groups have long supported gender balance initiatives, men have historically been less interested and involved. 

An often quoted Boston Consulting Group study shows however, that in companies where men are actively involved in gender equality, 96% report progress. Conversely, in companies without their engagement, a mere 30% report progress. This is not surprising, given that globally, men represent some 75-80% of executives and some 60% of line managers. The decisions they make about the women in their companies and teams can make a huge difference to these women’s careers.

PWN Dublin strongly believes that a crucial predictor of success is engaging male leaders and colleagues in our mission of balanced leadership. We launched a groundbreaking Engaging Men As Allies Programme in 2025, which was highly successful in changing attitudes and behaviours of the men who participated in it. These men reported significant increases in their awareness and actions as allies for gender balance.

Our 2026 Engaging Men As Allies Programme

Our 2026 programme will build on the success and the learnings from the 2025 cohort as well as best practices from allyship programmes globally. We aim to take 25-30 male leaders from a range of major Irish organisations and:

  • Highlight to them the experiences of women in the workplace, enhancing the awareness of these male leaders to the barriers and challenges women face.
  • Deep dive into the research that shows the benefits to men in their careers and in their personal lives from engaging in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and gender balance
  • Support them in developing their visioning and advocacy skills as inclusive leaders 
  • Help them develop a personal Action Plan to drive change in their organisation
  • Tie this into how we can support each other to achieve a more balanced workplace. 

We are partnering for this programme with Robert Baker, Founder and CEO Potentia Talent Consulting, who delivered the 2025 Programme. Robert is a long term PWN Global Ambassador and expert in engaging men in gender balance.

We are also thrilled to welcome X and Y as our Programme Sponsors.

Our programme will comprise: 

  • Launch Event - Redefining Masculinity for the Modern Age: 11th March, 18:00 - 21:00 (GMT). This event will be open to all genders.
  • Workshop 1 - Why Become an Ally and Inclusive Leader: 25th March 14:00 - 17:00 (GMT). This workshop is for men only. 
  • Workshop 2 - How to Become an Ally and Inclusive Leader: 28th April, 14:00-17:00 (IST). This workshop is for men only.
  • Closing Event - Working Together for Impact: 20th May,18:00 – 21:00 (IST). This event will be open to all genders.
  • Follow Up Event - Sharing and Celebrating Progress and Impact – 19th Nov, Online (TimeTBC - GMT)

Locations for the in-person events will be communicated in due course. 

How to Join the Programme

The opening and closing events will be open to PWN Dublin members and those interested in discussing how to advance gender balance in the workplace. It will include men who will be joining the Workshops.

We will share the joining instructions for the programme prior to the launch event.

We sincerely hope you will join in our mission to engage men in gender balance and learn how this benefits all genders, all organisations and all homes and families. We look forward to seeing you at our launch event in March.