#IWD2021: Women on Boards – why are there still so few?

If you have a board that largely looks and thinks the same, with similar experience, it will have a narrow view on a world that is changing fast, regardless of how talented its members are.

In unsettled times, it is perhaps a natural reaction to maintain the status quo and avoid change. But in fact, accelerating progress on diversifying the boardroom is now more important than ever. Faced with exceptional challenges, businesses will need creativity, different perspectives and experiences to navigate the year ahead and stimulate long-term growth.

Gender diversity has long been a focus for many boardrooms and evidence shows that UK boards have taken action to improve female representation. But there is no doubt that progress needs to be accelerated.

Join the discussion and share your views.

#IWD2021 #ChooseToChallenge

Everyone in the workplace is welcome to attend these events regardless of gender and age – no one is excluded!

Register here > http://afx.one/8cc7ab45 

Meet the panel:

Panel Chair – Brigit Egan
Brigit is Managing Director and Shareholder of Oakridge Training & Consulting – an international consultancy practice that specialises in Global Leadership, Team Development, Change Management and Coaching activities.
Brigit has pioneered work with global leadership and management teams in the public, private and not-for-profit sector environments for over 20 years. An experienced speaker, facilitator and coach Brigit draws on her training and experience as a Master Practitioner in NLP as well as her high level corporate experience and leadership and coaching work with thousands of professional, to provide effective programmes that help clients achieve desired growth and change.
Areas of expertise include Leadership and Talent Development, Change Management, Career Management and Integration and Cultural Assimilation programmes as a result of Mergers and Acquisitions. For the last 9 years Brigit has a led a national Think Tank on Talent Management which involves Leaders and Human Resource Practitioners representing the public, private and NGO sectors.
Brigit has nine years’ Chairman experience including roles as Chair of Common Purposes’ North West Advisory Board, Chair of the Institute of Directors Manchester branch, and Vice Chair of Business in the Arts. Brigit has also held main board and divisional board positions with privately-owned and public, national and international consultancies.
In addition to being a Master Practioner in NLP Brigit also holds a Business Coaching Diploma and is accredited to use a variety of psychometric instruments including the Transformational Leadership Questionnaire and the BarOn Emotional Intelligence Instrument.
She has won the National Network Women of Achievement Award, was listed in Yorkshire Business Insider Magazine as one of Yorkshire’s most Influential Business Women and has been short listed two years running for Forward Ladies’ Inspiring Leader award.

Ruth Gawthorpe
Ruth is CEO of Smart Working Revolution and a passionate champion of Smart Working. Six years ago Ruth became wheelchair bound after an operation and realised just how much talent cannot do the commute five days a week.
Despite an ongoing disability, Ruth is CEO of the Smart Working Revolution. As Lead Practitioner, Ruth supports Business Leaders with a range of unrivalled products to help pilot and implement smart workforce models and leadership skills. The outcome is improved business performance, customer and employee experience.
Ruth lobbies Government bodies to champion the wider uptake of smarter ways of working practices that will lead to more inclusion of those who live in rural towns and villages, people with disabilities, carers and parents who want to balance family and work better. Her vision of Smart Towns and Villages is now coming to fruition in Cornwall, where she lives and works and her dream is to extend this to other rural locations in the UK. The common denominator in all Ruth’s work is passion, people and the recognition that work happens in Brains – not offices.

Faye Holland
Faye is a Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce Board member and Founder and Director of multi-award-winning PR and Marketing consultancy, cofinitive.
A well-known and respected figure within Cambridge’s innovative business community, Faye influences and connects on a number of different levels.
A small business owner herself, she is founder and director of multi-award-winning PR and Marketing consultancy, cofinitive – listed as one of the ‘130 most influential businesses in Cambridge’ and ranked No 2 in Business Weekly’s prestigious 2020 ‘Image Makers’ listings.
She is the co-founder of the proactive Impact Women’s Network, which boasts a network of 900+ female professionals united in raising the public visibility of impactful women and instigating even greater change together.
Faye is also the creator of the highly successful #21toWatch Awards, which has further cemented her position as a key influencer in the region. The annual campaign focuses on showcasing the most daring entrepreneurs, startups and their ground-breaking innovations from across Cambridgeshire, helping to raise their profile and opportunities.

Charlotte Valeur
Charlotte has over 35 years of experience in finance, primarily as an investment banker in Denmark and the UK. She is an experienced FTSE Chair, Non-Executive Director and corporate governance expert, serving on a variety of boards – as well as delivering training, conducting board reviews and advising boards on corporate governance through her company Global Governance Group.
She is a visiting Professor in Governance at University of Strathclyde and on the advisory board of the Moller Institute at Churchill College, Cambridge University.
Charlotte has been a director of seven public companies, including three appointments as the Chair. She has taken part in a complete restructuring of NTR Plc, the sale of REG Plc to BlackRock and, as Chair, overseen a $8bln Merger of FTSE250 Kennedy Wilson Europe Real Estate Plc with its US NYSE listed parent. She currently Chairs Blackstone Loan Financing Plc. Charlotte also has board experience with a range of unlisted companies including international engineering firm Laing O’Rourke, BT Pension Fund, Chair of Institute of Directors UK and is the Founder and Chair of Board Apprentice.

Daemmon Reeve
Treatt plc manufactures and supplies a diverse and sustainable portfolio of natural extracts and ingredients for the global beverage, flavour and fragrance industries.
Daemmon joined Treatt in 1991, gaining knowledge from his time across a variety of business functions. In July 2010, he was appointed CEO of Treatt USA and became Group CEO in 2012. A passionate advocate for positive employee engagement and culture, Daemmon was acknowledged by the University of Suffolk in 2019 with an Honorary Doctorate. During his tenure as CEO, the market capitalization of Treatt has risen from around £30m to over £500m.
Daemmon is also a patron at the Suffolk heart charity, Upbeat Heart Support, a charity supporting heart patients’ post-surgery.

 

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