THE worlds of business and politics will come together at a special event exploring the roles of women in the boardroom as well as in the corridors of power at Westminster.

Mims Davies, MP for Eastleigh and member of the Women and Equalities Committee, will be the keynote speaker at Driving Women to Power organised by Taylor Made Computer Solutions.

She will discuss how she combines the demands of being a working mother with her role as an MP.

Also speaking at the event is Taylor Made’s HR director Aly Taylor, who will give her view of the challenges facing women in IT.

Findings from the Tech Partnership’s Women in IT Scorecard reveal that just 17 per cent of technology specialists in the UK are women and less than one in 10 of these are in leadership roles.

Aly says the statistics show that the sector is missing out on valuable talent.

“Encouraging women to consider roles in the IT sector is something we’re incredibly passionate about at Taylor Made,” she said.

“We’re looking forward to sharing our views on the barriers they are facing and discussing with delegates how we can close the gender gap here in Hampshire.”

Mims Davies MP said: “Men certainly dominate the benches in Westminster and figures show they do in boardrooms across the UK too.

“The challenge is how we address that inequality and ensure women have their voices heard, both in the public and private sector. I’m looking forward to meeting with delegates and hearing their views on how we can work together to achieve that.”

The event will take place from 5.30pm on June 16 at The Hendy FordStore in Leigh Road Eastleigh and also feature a talk from Hendy’s new car sales and group marketing director, Mark Busby.