Help please - inspiring women leaders

[Thrubwell]

I have been asked to give a talk to business people on why women are more appropriate leaders for the 21st century. The objective is to get the power holding men to understand that if they want their business to be more enduring and successful, they really need to develop a strong pipeline of women leaders that can rise to the very top and balance genders throughout organisations.

I would really like to cite some examples of inspiring women leaders and what made them so. I think it would also be great if they were current and perhaps not the usual suspects.

Any examples would be most gratefully received.

TIA

Another vote for Steve Shirley here.

meRichard Its not about equality between income groups but between genders. Taking the alumni from the same high income groups and comparing them highlights just how big the divide is. You can of course do the same exercise between high, middle and low income. The reason I compare high income men vs women is because of the title of the discussion. There is no good reason for such a divide. Both groups come from equally wealthy and well connected families. What is interesting is that if you look at the list from cheltenham ladies is the only alum in business is Nicola Horlick. The other areas such as government, arts and theatre have many more females of note.

The point of the exercise is to show what business leaders are missing out on. Women can succeed and be leaders but they are not doing it in business.

Outside business then, Baroness Hale of Richmond is a truly inspirational person to talk to IMHO.

Want2bSupermum Thank you for explaining the point in more detail. I would still personally counsel against using this example for the reasons I previously stated.

Helena Morrissey, former CEO of Newton Investment Management.

Helen Clark At one point the longest serving elected female head of state in the Western world and now big in the UN (she was in the running to be the next secretary general)

Valerie Amos, politician, stalwart of the UN and currently Vice Chancellor of SOAS, University of London.

What is inspiring about Helena Morriesy is that she was succeeded by another woman, Henneke Smits.

Ughhh my auto correct is killing me.

Just don't mention Thersa May. I know she's priminister and she's in possession of a vagina but please don't go there.

I second Baroness Hale...

Also Inga Beale, CEO of Lloyds of London (the global insurance market, not the bank).

She's the first female CEO in its 328 year history and she came out as bisexual which I realise isn't the point of your speech but is pretty gutsy in a very traditional marketplace.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inga_Beale

More on Inga Beale

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/business/2013/dec/16/lloyds-of-london-female-ceo-inga-beale

I actually don't agree with not mentioning May. I think it's interesting that there are some prominent leaders in politics. I don't like Diane Abbot but there is no denying that she is a leader. There is also Harriet Harmon and Ann Wydecombe and countless other women rising up through the ranks. Ruth Davidson and Nicola Sturgeon are both amazing female leaders shaping the political landscape in Scotland. It's a facinating time in politics for women.

I probably won’t use politicians as irrespective of leadership capability, the conversation may get hijacked by disagreement about politics.

Another amazing female leader is Sharon Bishop at Close Brothers. She started her career in the police I think.

And holly bishop, her daughter, is head of film and entertainment at time inc uk.

Thanks!

Another leader is Mihiri Jayaweera, Group Head of Strategy at TP ICAP.

Barbara Beskind, designer with IDEO. Aged 92 and going strong. Amazing story.
Wanted to be a designer in her youth during the Great Depression.
Finally started working with IDEO only a couple of years ago, some time after starting to lose her sight!
If she's not inspiring I don't know who is.

More here: www.nextavenue.org/product-designer-age-stereotypes/

It takes time to change the top level. If you think the U.K. has a culture of equal opportunity for men and women think again. Just take a look through MN and see the vast numbers of women who work PT while their OH works FT. The women are left doing the housework, raising the DC and not plugging away at their career. With so many women being expected to do this just highlights one of many barriers women face.