Product
Product leaders, and the roles closest to the product, such as data and product marketing.
Someconversationsneed aroom.
For women who lead in product, design and tech. We meet in small groups for honest conversations about the work and about leading it.
Edition 01 · After workStockholmThursday 19 November17.30 to 19.3030 seatsApply by 6 November
Less scroll.More say.
Women who lead product, design and tech work on the same products but rarely sit at the same table. Mostly we meet in a feed. The networks that exist are split by discipline, or they are big: a hundred people at a breakfast and someone on a stage.
PARLA is small on purpose. Every evening has a clear topic and plenty of time to talk. The aim: you leave with a new idea and a new person to call. It's non-profit and grows at its own pace.
Who sitsat the table
Design
Design leaders who run teams and practices, or carry the design of a whole product.
Tech
Tech and engineering leads who decide how things get built and who builds them.
You're a good fit if
01You lead people, work or change in product, design or tech. We look at what you do, not your title.
02You build a product over time and live with your decisions. In-house or embedded, not just passing through.
03You want to give as much as you take: bring real questions and talk openly about your own work.
04You respect Chatham House Rule. Take the ideas, leave the names. Trust is the whole point.
On the table
- Leading a team through a reorg you didn’t agree with
- AI changing your team faster than your org chart
- Being the senior person nobody quite listens to
- Killing a product you believed in
- Saying no to your CEO
- Leading people who know more than you
- When the data says one thing and your gut says another
- Getting the title for the job you’re already doing
- Coming back after parental leave
- Leading when you don’t get to decide
- When being direct gets you called difficult
How it works
Joining PARLA
01
Three ways inApply yourself, get invited by us, or get recommended by someone already in. Either way, you answer a few questions once, so we get to know everyone the same way.
02
Pick your roomsSign up for the ones you want. Seats are limited.
03
IRL onlyNo Zoom, no livestream, no recordings. If you want the conversation, you have to be in the room.
The rooms
After work
Drinks, snacks and people worth knowing. Someone from the network opens with a short take on the evening’s topic, then the room takes over.
Lunch beat
Ten seats and one narrow topic you prepare for. Small enough to actually go deep.
Morning
One topic to start the day with, and time to talk and meet and discuss, before the day kicks off.
Next
We build this together. Got an idea for a room? Bring it.
Some rooms are guided, some run free.
What is saidstays in the room.
Edition 01 · After workStockholm
19 Nov
Thursday17.30 to 19.30
Why won't people just do what we expect?
People aren't nearly as rational as we'd like to think. And as leaders, we may be triggering some of the very reactions we're trying to avoid.
Anna opens with a short talk, then we take it to the tables: conversation in small groups, with a few questions to get you started.
- Where
- Högbergsgatan 36, 116 20 Stockholm
- Seats
- 30
- Cost
- Free
- Apply by
- Friday 6 November
Opening the evening
Anna Kempe
CHRO · Senior AdvisorShe has spent over 20 years working at the intersection of people, business and change, at companies like Schibsted, Circle K and Unilever. Most recently, she was Chief People & Culture Officer at Hemnet. Her passion lies in connecting people, business and strategy to turn ambitious plans into meaningful change.
PARLA
Apply to join
Getting a seat
01
Apply to joinFill in the form at the bottom of the page and tick “I'd also like a seat on 19 November”.
02
We write backYou hear from us by email. If you have a seat, you get the address and a calendar invite.
03
Apply to join
Can't make it?Just reply to the email, so we can give your seat to someone else.
Your hostsand co‑founders
We believe the best conversations about leadership happen in small groups, where people can say what they actually think. We started PARLA to make that happen for women who lead in product, tech and design, to find out together how we take up space and lead in our own way.
Good to know
Why PARLA?
Parla is Italian and means both "she speaks" and "speak!". That's what we want the evenings to be. The name was Moa's idea, and Stefania, who is Italian, loved that it came from her.
What does it cost?
Our first room is on us. After that, we’ll ask for a small contribution to cover each gathering. Workshops and longer sessions may be priced differently, with the cost always clear before you sign up.
PARLA is nonprofit. All contributions go back into making the rooms happen.
Is this a recruiting or sales event?
No. Fair question, since Moa works in recruitment and our sponsors work with talent. But PARLA isn’t a hiring channel, for us or anyone else. We never share the guest list, and nobody gets the room to pitch. What you do with the people you meet is up to you.
Who can apply?
Women in senior and leadership roles in product, design or tech, at companies that build their own digital products.
Do I apply for every evening?
No. You apply once. After that we send you each new evening and you sign up for a seat.
What if I can't come after all?
Let us know at hello@weareparla.com so someone else can take your seat.
Will there be photos?
We take a few photos during the evening to show what PARLA is like. If you'd rather not be in them, just tell us at the door. Read more about how we handle photos in our privacy notice at weareparla.com/privacy.
Stockholm19 November17.30 to 19.3030 seatsApply by 6 November