PM Society Members’ Webinar

Join us for the next in our FREE webinar series for members of the PM Society. PM Talks Live brings live online discussion and debate to our membership across a range of topics.

Parental leave is a significant moment for employees, their teams and their employers. How it is managed can shape careers, working relationships and decisions about whether to return—and stay.

Organisations invest in recruiting and developing talented people. Protecting that investment takes planning: thoughtful handovers, agreed communication during leave and meaningful support on return. For employees, it means being able to grow their families while continuing to develop their careers.

When that support falls short, the consequences can reach far beyond the person taking leave. Teams manage additional pressures, businesses risk losing experience and client relationships, and returning parents can find themselves navigating changed roles, reduced confidence or uncertain career prospects.

So what can we do better?

Join PM Talks Live for an open discussion about parental leave in pharma marketing and medical communications. Our panel will explore the experiences of parents and employers, the challenges they face and practical ways to improve outcomes for everyone.

What we’ll explore

What the available evidence tells us about parental leave and career progression in our industry.

Why some employees don’t return—or return and subsequently leave.

The impact on team capacity, business continuity and retention.

How planning, communication, flexible working and return-to-work support can help.

What employees and managers can do before, during and after leave.

What you’ll take away

Practical questions to guide conversations about leave and returning to work.

Ideas for better handovers, keeping in touch and return-to-work plans.

Ways to support career development alongside changing family responsibilities.

Approaches to managing team workloads and maintaining continuity.

Who should attend?

This webinar is for anyone leading a team or organisation, supporting colleagues through parental leave, preparing for leave themselves or reflecting on their own experience.

Whether you’re an employer, manager, parent or prospective parent, join us to share perspectives and put questions to the panel.

Panel

Sophie Maunder, Founder MATRI Coaching 

Sophie Maunder, executive coach and former VCCP leader, founded MATRI to support parents and employers through the transition to parenthood. Its coaching programmes and manager training help improve the experience of parental leave and return to work, with VCCP reporting 93% retention among staff returning from maternity leave.

Nicky Stunt, RBW Consulting

Nicky Stunt is a Principal Healthcare Communications Recruiter at RBW Consulting. She partners with agency leaders on recruitment and hiring strategy, helping them find the talent needed to strengthen teams and support business growth.

Sarah Love, 67health - Sarah Love

Director of Healthcare Communications and Management Team member at 67health, Sarah focuses on people and culture. Having recently returned from a year of maternity leave, she brings both professional and personal experience to her interest in improving parental leave provision and flexible return-to-work practices. She also follows and supports UK advocacy groups campaigning for change.

Antonia Katsambis, Independent HR Consultant

Antonia Katsambis was previously Global HR Director at AXON Communications, responsible for creating and embedding people strategies across the organisation. She now operates as a People & Culture Consultant working with senior leaders to balance people-centred thinking, commercial awareness and practical delivery.

Reserve your place and join the conversation by clicking 'Book now' below and a Teams invite will follow shortly.