A recent article in The Independent highlighted the fact that only 12% (139) of directors of British based FTSE companies are female. The debate around getting more top female executives at the helm of our best loved British institutions has seemed to rage on forever! Since I started in business the same articles have appeared on countless occasions asking why this is the case in the UK. I have always been in favour of supporting women getting to the top if that is what they want.
But is it what women want? Can I be as patronising to ask whether women know what they really want? Is it a question of aspiring to get to these positions of authority? Or being happy with where they are at? Are there barriers to truly getting to the top? Do you have to be a certain type of person to want to get to the top?
As a focused individual wanting to make a mark with my own business I have always assumed that every woman working within the professional sphere or running their own businesses want the same thing. The countless women in business I meet are confident individuals with very clear perspectives on what they want to achieve out of life. Very often they use what they do to empower the lives they lead. Work life balance is more of an imperative for them.
Does sitting on a FTSE 100 Board excite, terrify or fit in with the lives we want to lead? What is the answer to this very weird conundrum? Why do we in the UK have some of the worst take up rates in Europe? Should we be worried? What do you think?
Icon Women and Doncaster Free Press have joined forces to find Doncaster’s leading Women in Business.
The supplement is open to everyone, regardless of what sector you work in or what stage of your career you’re at, whether you’re just starting out, are a ‘rising star’ or an experienced professional in your field. This is our chance to showcase the huge amount of female business talent that’s out there in Doncaster and that means you!
Entries will be judged by the Free Press and Icon Women panel in the next few weeks and the supplement will be published in the Doncaster Free Press on 23rd September.
To celebrate, we’re planning a special lunchtime event (more details here) where we will also be revealing some new and exciting developments for Icon Women and its members…
If you are interested in entering please send us your profile which needs to consist of;
- Name and age
- Name of company and job title
- Synopsis of your role
- Why are you interesting?
- Photo (preferably colour)
Send entries to info@iconwomen.co.uk
Over 300 of you took part in a variety of Icon Women activities last year and we wanted to know whether you found them useful in bringing you new business. Many thanks to all of you who took the time to respond to our latest survey. This has already started helping us shape activities for the next year. We got a great response to last month’s survey with the winner of the prize draw announced in the next newsletter.
- An overwhelming 78% of you would like to see the topic of business management covered by a guest speaker or at a future event. The themes of marketing and motivation come in as a close second followed by the topic of finance.
- Our networking format was considered too informal with many of you feeling that there were not enough structured introductions to one another.
- Some of you felt that attending a networking event was a nerve racking experience and you would like to see a little more support when you walked through that door in connecting you to other people.
- Communication with the network with regards to activities was considered hit and miss with not enough notice given to the promotion of events.
- You would like us to champion other causes other than business. Many of you support a charity and like giving back.
We value ongoing feedback and want to remain open to comments and suggestions to make this network work hard for you. Most importantly, we’re acting upon your suggestions, so watch this space!
