Penny Triantafillou is a Connector and Partnership Strategist at the University of Warwick, where she bridges the gap between academia and industry, helping organisations tap into cutting-edge research to drive innovation and real-world impact.
After moving countries multiple times and arriving in the UK with no network over a decade ago, Penny rebuilt her career from a temporary contract to senior leadership - a journey that fuels her passion for helping women become visible and influential in their fields.
She hosts the podcast "Women Leaders: Tales, Trails and Truths," featuring CEOs, oncologists, engineers, innovators and senior education leaders, and has published in Times Higher Education. She founded the Healthcare & Innovation Women's Leadership Network, bringing senior women together around healthcare, technology and inclusive innovation, and previously co-led the Women in Leadership Network at Warwick.
Penny recently completed an Executive Diploma in Strategic Leadership and Change at Warwick Business School with distinction, where her research focused on grassroots innovation and strategic leadership.
“Visibility isn't about being louder, it's about being locatable.”
Synopsis:
Penny shares her journey from starting as a temp at a UK university over a decade ago to Associate Director, exploring why "your work speaking for itself" is a myth. She addresses why influence requires both performance and presence, how to become visible without feeling like you're boasting and why the qualities you think are "too much" might be exactly what makes you memorable. For anyone who has felt invisible at work or wondered if it's too late to start building visibility.
Talk:
What does it take to build a meaningful career when you're starting over in a new country with no network or contacts? How do you progress from a temporary contract to a leadership role without losing your authenticity along the way?
In this session, Penny shares her personal journey from starting as a temp at a UK university over a decade ago to her current role as Associate Director — and more importantly, the choices around visibility, connection, and self-belief that made the difference.
Drawing on her lived experience - including rebuilding her career in her 50s and 60s - Penny explores why "your work speaking for itself" is a myth, why influence requires both performance and presence and how to become visible without feeling like you're boasting.
She shares why the qualities you think are "too much" might be exactly what makes you memorable and how small, authentic actions compound over time.
This talk is for anyone who has felt invisible at work, struggled with self-promotion or wondered if it's too late to start building visibility. Whatever your career stage or sector, you'll leave with renewed perspective and simple actions you can adapt to build influence through authentic connection.
Penny has reinvented herself across multiple countries and career pivots, bringing hard-won insights about what it really takes to go from invisible to influential.