Leading Women

Leading Women is an American consulting firm, designed to counteract gender disparity in corporate business, founded by Susan Colantuono in 2003.[1][2] Its primary aim is to reduce the gender gap in business leaders, and consulting with organisations to help them do this.[3]

The organisation researched the careers of 2,000 women and found that when selecting candidates for career advancement, organisations prioritise business and strategic acumen by a factor of 2 to 1. This contradicts traditional career advice given to women, which stresses the importance of interpersonal skills instead of knowing the business well.[4] This was publicised in a TED conference in 2014.[5] Colantuono has expressed concerns about bias in existing human resources and promotion systems, as well as a general perception that women are believed to lack business strategy and financial acumen.[6]

In October 2019, the organisation expanded to include conference services and provide their services to everyone instead of just select high-profile organisations.[7] At the same time, Colantuno announced she would step down from the organisation at the end of the year.[8] She was replaced as CEO by Kelly Lockwood Primus.[9] Primus has said diversity and inclusion help a company, as it fosters collaboration and innovation, helping a business' bottom line.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "5 inspiring TED talks by women leaders in 2014". Forbes. December 29, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  2. ^ "Life in the afterglow of TED-talk fame". Washington Post. December 28, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "Leadership Gender Gap Persists". Risk and Insurance. January 9, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  4. ^ "Four Reasons Women Make Great Executives". Forbes. May 10, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  5. ^ "Susan Colantuno : The career advice you probably didn't get". TED. 30 September 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  6. ^ "Leadership Gender Gap Persists". Risk and Insurance. January 9, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  7. ^ "Leading Women Introduces #ConferenceInABox".
  8. ^ "Mover & Shakers for Dec. 15, 2019". Milford Daily News. December 21, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "How 'Frontier' Jobs Are Shaping the Gender Gap". Forbes. December 18, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  10. ^ "Does Your Leadership Style Support Diversity?". CIO. May 9, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
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