The emPOWER Breakfast Has Gone Indie

Since The emPOWER Breakfast’s very successful launch in March 2024, Athene Parker has continued to build a much needed support network within the advertising industry, creating a space for women to gather, connect over shared experiences, and get a peek behind a curtain that is too often kept closed in the professional sphere. Allowing shared stories and experiences, reflecting triumph through adversity. The monthly events have allowed for many women to feel less alienated in their challenges, and it’s only the beginning! 

The 2025 line up is as stellar as 2024 and in addition to the incredible line up of Women in our industry The emPOWER Breakfast will be launching emPOWER Men, four additional events where Athene will interview men in the industry who are talking topics ranging from addiction, parenthood, divorce LGBTQ+ and sexual abuse. emPOWER strongly believes that emotional empowerment for men is a conversation people are ready to have. Lots of new things are coming and the emPOWER team couldn’t be more excited. 

The emPOWER Breakfast is supported by brilliant sponsors, without whom none of this would be possible. For the coming year, Athene is keenly looking for sponsors to join the community, who would be willing to help uplift our advertising industry and this progressive DE&I initiative. Supporting The emPOWER Breakfast and what it strives to accomplish within the industry (and beyond!) 

Athene wants to thank the team at Lemonade Reps and The Visionaries who supported and helped set up The emPOWER Breakfast in its first year.

A massive thank you to Georgia Wilson and Panna Scheer at Lemonade for all their help with emPOWER! 

Georgia is an assistant directors agent & PR coordinator at The Visionaries, supporting a roster of freelance directors and photographers, as well as managing the associated press & marketing efforts. With a background in film distribution, Georgia joined Lemonade Reps in 2023 as a creative media assistant, and has since expanded her responsibilities far and wide to become an integral part of the team both at Lemonade and The Visionaries. Since moving from NYC to London in 2019, she has worked consistently across both film and advertising, and graduated with a first-class degree in media & communications from Goldsmiths, University of London. 

Here is what Georgia has to say: “It was an absolute pleasure to assist with coordinating the inaugural series of interviews for emPOWER Breakfast. Being given the opportunity to engage with meaningful insight and advice from such remarkable women in the industry, whilst sitting amongst other women all at different stages in their career, was truly invaluable and I greatly look forward to the next series of events.” 

Panna Scheer is a creative professional currently working as a creative assistant at Lemonade Reps, collaborating with Corin West. She began her journey at Lemonade Reps as an intern, quickly gaining hands-on experience in the creative process. Panna's career also includes a role as a production intern at NM Productions, where she developed valuable skills in production and project management. A graduate of University of Portsmouth, where she studied Film Industries, Panna also spent time teaching Film Studies in Hong Kong. During her time abroad, she realised her true passion lay in practicing what she taught, leading her to shift toward a more hands-on creative career. Originally from Hungary, Panna moved to Portsmouth 7 years ago and relocated to London a year and a half ago to continue her professional journey. Eager to expand her knowledge of the advertising industry, Panna is committed to learning, creating, and growing. Outside of work, she is a big fan of the lizzie line and loves spending time with her 5kg sausage dog. 

Here is what Panna had to say: “It’s truly a privilege to be involved with the emPOWER events. Athene has created something that really addresses a significant gap in the industry. For me, coming to Framestore each morning means being surrounded by ordinary but extraordinary women who, before stepping into their daily roles of strength and independence, take a moment to be unapologetically themselves over a breakfast.”

Corin West, founder of Lemonade Reps and The Visionaries was thrilled to be part of the emPOWER Breakfast experience. A brilliant networking initiative putting Lemonade Reps firmly in the spotlight, emPOWER has now developed wings and is moving into its next independent incarnation. 

This is what Corin had to say, “From the very first emPOWER Breakfast, it was evident that Athene's creation fostered such positivity and meaningful connections that its success was inevitable. The event's impact is immeasurable in many ways. We see new business connections emerging everywhere, but there's also the unspoken support groups, the introductions to well-being resources, and the huge amounts of genuine friendships and love is forming. In a world increasingly dominated by online interactions and AI, where genuine connections are dwindling, The emPOWER Breakfast shines a light on positive change within our industry.”

Click here to find out more about the year The emPOWER Breakfast just had, or contact athene@theempowerbreakfast.co.uk