Women make up around 70% of the global events workforce but their stories, leadership, and influence are often underrepresented.
The 70% is a weekly series celebrating the women shaping the events industry. From rising stars to seasoned leaders, each profile shines a light on the career journeys, challenges, and perspectives of women working across all corners of the sector.
In our fourth edition, we speak to Anna Krenkova, client services director at Bray Leino Events.
In her 13 years with the business she’s seen it grow to become one of the UK’s leading events agencies. She found the events industry later in life and quickly fell in love with the work, the travel, the deadlines, and the people.
With a family background that’s led her towards DE&I as an issue, today, she is an Elevate Mentor and champions Bray Leino Events’ ‘We Care’ initiative and partners with organisations that share her passions for lifting people up and giving them a shot at joining the industry she loves.
How do you balance professional growth with personal commitments, and do you think the industry is evolving in terms of work-life balance?
It’s getting easier with the growth of flexible and hybrid working – as an industry, we’re better at letting people design their working day around aspects of their personal life. We’re seeing more employers giving people time back for the important stuff.
But how do you balance it all – board member, mother, wife, super social friend
(who actually replies to messages)? I try my best. I believe life outside work is incredibly important. As soon as people start feeling like they’re giving more than they’re getting back, that’s when they start feeling bitter and resentful (this is the same for relationships and friendships).
It’s all about barriers. Be strict and switch that phone off. Be present – whether you’re in work or with your family – be there in the moment.
How do you see the events industry evolving in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion?
DE&I issues strike close to home for me. I am a child of refugees and was raised in asylum seeker accommodation. But I was still luckier than lots of kids in similar situations. I had loving and encouraging parents, I got a scholarship, finished higher education… the rest is history.
That’s why I’m passionate about our responsibility of giving back and lifting people up. I champion our agency’s DE&I ‘We Care’ initiative that aims to do just that, and there are lots of organisations trying to do the same – like the Elevate Mentoring programme that I am proud to be part of this year.
What advice would you give to young women looking to enter and succeed in the events industry?
It’s never too late to fall in love with this industry. I didn’t discover events until my early thirties – I’d worked for the European Union, in the engineering sector, within the public sector. Then I started working as a project manager in events. I learned lots about different sectors, travelled all over the world, and met some of the loveliest, most fun and hardest working people you will ever meet.
I always say, it’s ok not to know what you want to do in life. Work out what you don’t want to do and keep moving until you find something you love, which I have been lucky enough to do.
How do you handle setbacks and failures?
Not well! I used to play a lot of sports and am a competitive individual. I like to win. But you can’t win every time, and that’s something I’ve had to come to terms with.
Losses happen, tricky conversations, difficult challenges. I had to learn not to take them personally. Did I do my best, try my hardest? That’s how I rationalise it these days, take the lessons and make sure we’re better next time.
I still get a massive buzz out of the win – new business, client growth, even just positive feedback… it keeps me going.
What changes do you think are still needed to create more opportunities for women in leadership?
Flexibility is key, and this is where we’ve made progress. Pre-covid, we were in the office 9-6pm every day or travelling for face-to-face meetings. Today we’re hybrid, we’ve embraced flexibility, meetings are remote. As a mother with two young children, these changes are enabling me to do my job.
I’d like to see more older women acting as mentors for younger women. There’s so much to learn from them if we can hold onto them.
Lastly, I’d like to see more men to step up and lean in – at home. Work part-time, stay home when the child is sick, request flexible working. Employers could offer better paternity or shared parental leave, so it doesn’t always fall on women. When we are equal at home, we will become equal in work. Thank you to my husband for allowing me to be exactly that.
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