Emilie West, Interim Chairperson at Live Group, said: “Whilst all FTSE 350 companies now have at least one female board member, most firms have achieved this by promoting women to non-executive directorships. It means there is still a real lack of senior female leadership in our corporations, with only 17 female CEOs leading the FTSE 350.
If we are to rectify this, it is important that women at a young age don’t limit their horizons when planning their careers and can see that there are many paths to success. I myself set out to succeed in my career without adhering to gender biases and achieved that both in my career in investment banking and my appointment as a non-executive Director while in my 30s. Sadly, my experience is still relatively unique, especially amongst female board members, but there is no reason this cannot change.
Live Group, with its strong balance of both female and male leadership, stands with women on International Women’s Day and will continue, as it always has, to value an individual based on professional merit regardless of gender.”
Helen Kronheim, Chief Operating Officer at Live Group, comments:
“Finding new ways to maximise people’s access to experiences that enable personal and professional development should be a priority across every single sector of our economy. And this International Women’s Day is an opportunity to highlight the role more flexible approaches can play when it comes to inclusive professional collaboration and engagement.
The increase in online professional events throughout 2020 and the first few months of 2021 – whether that be webinars, roundtables or virtual conferences – has transformed networking and broadened exchanges of knowledge. It has radically increased accessibility through more sophisticated use of digital channels and has importantly boosted female turnout. People can attend at a time that suits them outside of other demands, and with reduced logistical pressures of travel.
Live Group is dedicated to directing all its efforts to facilitating this evolution and maintaining this level of accessibility, ensuring that professional opportunities for women will no longer be an issue. We encourage all industries to consider how their operations can be adapted for this outcome.”
