More than a third of FTSE 350 board positions are now held by women, an increase of 50% over the past five years. Women on Boards UK has played a key role in this progress, but there is a long way to go before all boardrooms have equal gender representation. What’s more, progress outside of the FTSE 350 is glacially slow and women from ethnic minority backgrounds are still woefully represented. Yet, the evidence is clear that boardroom diversity is not just about fairness but delivers better business results.

Women on Boards UK exists to encourage, inspire and actively support women – from all sectors – to find their own pathway to the boardroom. Its network of 35,000 women (and some men) gain access to training, insights and connections to help them take on a board role as a non-executive director, trustee or governor, or to get to the top within their own company.

Supported by a team of high-profile ambassadors, members receive practical, personal and expert advice on everything from preparing their board CV to super-charging interview techniques. This personalised approach and emphasis on one-to-one support has helped, on average, members of the network secure seven new board roles each week.

The leading team includes Fiona Hathorn, who is currently the CEO of Women on Boards UK and Fiona Driscoll, Chair:

Fiona Hathorn, CEO, Women on Boards UK

Fiona is the CEO of Women on Boards UK, an Advisory Board Member to Spktral (a technology company that helps organisations simplify the gender pay gap reporting process), advisor to Peel Hunt (mid-cap stockbroker) and Chair of Hanx‘s Nominations Committee (FMCG start-up). She is an expert in the areas of Governance, Regulation and Talent Management who has sat on both marketing and audit & finance committees. Fiona is also a Patron of Fight for Sight (a medical research charity) and was formerly a director for Hill Samuel Asset Management. She has advised the board of the Thai Euro Fund and is a Judge for the Non Executive Director Awards, sponsored by The Sunday Times. In 2020 Fiona joined King’s College London’s ‘Global Institute for Women’s Leadership‘ Advisory Board.

Fiona Driscoll, Chair, Women on Boards UK

Fiona is an experienced NED and business leader. Her roles currently include UKRI, the bringing together of the UK’s Research Councils with a £7bn budget, Chair of the Wessex Academic Health Science Network for the NHS and Trustee of King Edward VII hospital. She is a Member of HM Treasury’s Major Projects Review Group, and has carried out over 100 reviews for HMG. She has a particular focus on innovation, transformation and commercialisation. After joining Women on Boards as an NED in 2019, Fiona took over as Chair in October 2020.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Introducing Women on Boards: Accelerating Board Diversity appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

The finalists of the Barclaycard everywoman in Retail Awards have just been announced, showcasing the retail industry’s top female talent.

The changing face of retail is a key topic for UK business as evolving shopping habits, the rise of online retailers, and the disappearance of larger names on the UK’s high street are causing the industry to evolve more rapidly than ever before. Bricks and mortar retailers are having to develop new techniques to drive sales and footfall whilst both on and offline outlets are working to transform the overall customer experience and increase engagement.

These challenges make a career in retail one of the most exciting out there today and underline the importance of identifying and nurturing the industry’s exceptional talent, and those who are making a real difference to the face of retail and resurrection of the high street.

Maxine Benson MBE, Co-founder of everywoman, comments, “This year’s finalists are fantastic examples of the pioneers changing the retail industry and showcase what a rewarding and fulfilling career it can offer. We should approach the changing dynamic of the high street with a positive attitude due to the number of stimulating new businesses and techniques that we are witnessing in reaction to the current climate. We want to continue to promote women in retail and celebrate these role models who are inspiring future generations.”

Research shows that businesses with gender diverse workforces are more innovative, in touch with their customer base and more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians, yet the retail industry still suffers from a lack of diversity at senior level. Women currently make up the majority of the three million people employed within the retail industry, however research shows that women are far less likely to fill senior positions than men, with director-level roles being 26% female and 74% male.

This is why The Barclaycard everywoman in Retail Awards are so important, as they showcase the success stories of women at all stages of their careers within the industry, shining a light on their achievements and inspiring a new generation of female talent to pursue a career in retail.

If a few months ago we published the categories, we bring now the finalists.

This year’s finalists really reflect how much retail has changed to encompass a hugely diverse range of roles and businesses – from entrepreneurs who have started their own street food businesses, jewellery brands and dental hygiene companies to leaders making an impact on the long-established, household name organisations in which they work.

The judges commented on this diversity as “truly outstanding”, and also highlighted the determination, motivation and ambition that was evident across all of the finalists.

The 2019 Barclaycard everywoman in Retail Awards finalists are:

Above & Beyond Award

• Emma Bolton-King, Head of Marketing Strategy and Customer Experience, Sainsbury’s Argos, Milton Keynes
• Tracey Gilbert , Womens Store Manager, Gap, London
• Azmina Kareem, General Manager Tesco Sourcing Sri Lanka, Tesco, Colombo
• Fiona McDonnell, European Director, Beer, Wines & Spirits, Amazon, London

Customer Experience Award

• Alice Boaten, Regional Manager, Sainsbury’s Argos, London
• Amy Dunne, Project Manager, McDonald’s Restaurant Ltd, London
• Helen Flaxman, Senior Customer & Communications Manager, Superdrug, London
• Farhana Khatun, Customer Service Manager, Sainsbury’s Argos, London
• Lucy Knight, Personal Stylist, John Lewis & Partners, London

Leader Award

• Lucy Crowther , Group HR Director, Card Factory, Leeds
• Amber Kelly, People and Culture Director, Post Office Ltd, London
• Nicola Noble, Head of Quality Assurance and Operational Change, SSE, Glasgow

Entrepreneur Award – Sponsored by Amazon

• Marisa Hordern, Founder & Creative Director, Missoma Jewellery, London
• Lucy Litwack, CEO, Coco de Mer, London
• Dr Jackie Mulligan, Founder/CEO, ShopAppy Ltd, Bradford
• Tania Rahman, Founder & CEO, Chit Chaat Chai Limited, London
• Dominique Tillen, Founder and Managing Director, Brush-Baby Ltd, Winchester

Male Mentor Award – Sponsored by Specsavers

• Paul O’Neill, Divisional Manager, Sainsburys Argos, Manchester
• Gary Pickering, Director of Sales and Retention, SSE, Cheltenham
• Karl Viedge, Senior Business Partner Manager, Amazon, London

Rising Star Award – Sponsored by Tesco

• Krittika D’Silva, PhD Student, University of Cambridge, Cambridge
• Philippa Haigh, Senior Sales Executive, Farnell Land Rover Guiseley, Leeds
• Jessica Szczerbinski, Floor Manager, Gap, London

Anita Liu Harvey, Director of Strategy and Business Planning at Barclaycard added: “This year’s finalists are a testament to the incredible women working in retail, and their achievements are all the more impressive given the current change and challenges facing the sector. From entrepreneurs to long-established brand names, we are proud to partner with an awards programme which encompasses such a huge breadth and depth of talent from a diverse range of backgrounds. Huge congratulations to all 23 finalists!”

Winners will be announced on 11 September 2019 at an awards ceremony at Hilton Bankside, London.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Barclaycard Everywoman In Retail Awards Finalists Announced And They Are The Industry’s Top Female Talent appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

The 2019 Barclaycard everywoman in Retail Awards programme is now open, welcoming nominations from the industry’s exceptional talent. From the young, rising stars, to the long-standing leaders and pioneering entrepreneurs, individuals at all stages of their career journeys are invited to nominate themselves or others. By showcasing their success stories, they will inspire a new generation of female talent to pursue a rewarding career in this fast-evolving industry.

Retail is changing at an unprecedented rate making it one of the most innovative and challenging careers out there.  Stores are evolving to offer more experiential customer engagement – the physical connection to products that digital alone cannot offer. Alongside this technology is changing, not only the way we pay, but is being developed to create an enriching and curatorial customer experience.

Anita Liu Harvey, Director of Strategy at Barclaycard said: “We are excited to announce that submissions are now open for the Barclaycard everywoman in Retail Awards. These recognise the incredible contribution that women have made to the retail sector over the past year. Our depth and breadth of expertise in supporting a huge variety of retailers makes us the ideal partner for these awards. We cannot wait to see the no doubt exceptionally talented entries for 2019. As well as recognising outstanding women working in retail, we hope that these awards inspire even more women to succeed across the industry.”

With a brand-new category being introduced for 2019 – the ‘Disruptor Award’ – everywoman and Barclaycard are also searching for women making a real difference to the ever-changing face of retail, in a creative, unconventional and pioneering way.

The categories for 2019 are:

• Entrepreneur Award, sponsored by Amazon – Awarded to an owner/ founder of a retail business that has been operating for 12 months or more, whose vision will inspire other women to start their own enterprise.
• Above & Beyond Award – Awarded to a woman at any stage of her career who has truly gone above and beyond her role to help drive the organisation’s success.
• Leader Award – Awarded to a woman whose significant contribution to the strategic and/or commercial direction of the business has increased productivity, innovation or employee engagement.
• Male Mentor Award, sponsored by Specsavers – Awarded to a man for his active commitment to advancing or championing the career progression of women in retail through mentorship.
• Rising Star Award, sponsored by Tesco – Awarded to a woman aged under 25 who is excelling in her retail career, making a valuable contribution to her organisation.
• Customer Experience Award – Awarded to a woman who has been instrumental in improving or transforming the customer experience.
• Outstanding Influencer Award – Awarded to a woman whose voice or social media strategy has successfully influenced the customer both on and offline. There will be no nominations for this award – the winner will be selected in partnership with everywoman and Barclaycard.
• NEW Disruptor Award – Awarded to a woman who is exceptionally creative within her role, in an unconventional and pioneering way.

Maxine Benson MBE, co-founder of everywoman, comments: “The changing face of retail is allowing more women to flex their creative muscles and prove how their innovative thinking is contributing to the growth of the sector. everywoman, with Barclaycard, is on a mission to celebrate the women who show just how viable and fulfilling a career in retail is. Research continues to demonstrate the value of role models to inspire women in the workplace and we look forward to welcoming a new wave of talent who will be the pioneers of retail as we’ve never seen it before.”

Entries are open until 13 May 2019 and winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in September.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post 2019 Barclaycard Everywoman On Retail Awards: The Changing Face Of Retail appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Three quarters (75%) of those working in the technology industry in the UK believe that women are underrepresented in the media, according to new research, with almost 1 in 5 tech workers (18%) agreeing that the media needs to do more to address the gender imbalance in its reporting.

18% said it was at least 4 days since they had last seen a woman positioned as an expert commentator in the media, with over 1 in 10 (13%) saying they don’t even remember the last time it was.

The research, which explored opinions from across a number of industry sectors including technology (IT and telecoms),  also revealed respondents’ perceptions of negative stereotyping by gender.

When asked about the terms they most associated with the portrayal of women in the media, ‘celebrity’ (20%) and ‘polite’ (21%) were among the most popular terms – all more commonly associated terms than ‘expert’ (14%) or ‘leader’ (15%).

The research was commissioned by Common Industry to mark the launch of rePResent, its new initiative aimed at tackling imbalanced gender representation in the media.

Commenting on the findings, Harriet Allner, Account Director at Common Industry, said: “We know that gender representation in the media is far from balanced. Things are improving, but there’s still a long way to go, as our research highlights. As communications experts working within the tech sector, we’re in a position to change this – after all, we put people forward every day to speak on television, radio, across the press and podcasts and much more. We can curate change.”

Common Industry’s rePResent wants to see significant steps taken towards a more balanced representation of gender in the media in the next five years. It aims to drive a positive conversation around gender representation and diversity. By working with female business leaders and founders, journalists and editors, the initiative aims to ensure communications professionals are part of the solution, closing the gap between businesses and the media.

Allner comments: “At Common Industry, we’re passionate in our belief that for every story of women’s struggle there should be a story of women’s success. That those speaking on behalf of industries, businesses and causes should be representative and equal. But we also know that it’s not just up to journalists and editors – or even the business community. People working in PR – in-house and at agencies – have a huge part to play. That’s why we’re launching rePResent. To help pave the way towards equal representation in the media. To play our part in creating the future. After all: you can’t be what you can’t see.”

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Tech Industry: Three Quarters of Workers Believe that Women are Underrepresented appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

The UK is one of the few European markets in which women are a major segment, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. According to the company almost 15% of UK HNW investors in 2018 are women, accounting for roughly 50,000 individuals. This equates to more female millionaires than in all the nations of Central and Eastern Europe combined. It represents a sizeable and growing opportunity for the wealth management industry to target, in what is currently a poorly served segment.

The company’s latest report, ‘Wealth in the UK: HNW Investors 2018’, reveals that while it is already a mature wealth market, the UK still offers room for growth. As the intergenerational wealth transfer is looming, provision of inheritance and tax planning services does not match demand.

While this opportunity is not limited to the female HNW segment, propositions targeted at wealthy women can prove to be a competitive advantage. So far, globally the industry is as a whole has failed to connect with women. In the UK specifically, this is complicated by the fact that many wealthy women are busy executives, either as entrepreneurs or high-flying employees.

Time constraints are a key problem for this demographic – something they share in common with their male colleagues as a motivator for seeking out professional advice. However, whereas British men can rely upon their wealth managers understanding their needs to build up trust and facilitate a convenient relationship, wealthy women do not have that luxury.

Bartosz Golba, Head of Content, Wealth Management at GlobalData commented, ‘‘Wealth managers that can connect with female investors on concerns such as dependents, financial health, and risk management will have a competitive edge in this large and growing segment.’’

Being able to differentiate from other providers in the UK’s well-developed wealth management market is key. 55% of wealth managers surveyed by GlobalData agree that intergenerational transfers will be a big source of new business in the coming years. Hence inheritance planning will continue to be of importance, but competitors can stand out from the crowd by adding tax advice to the mix.

Golba concluded: ‘‘The industry also has to consider alternatives for discretionary asset management services traditionally favoured by HNW clients. Demand is increasing for both advisory mandates and automated solutions like robo-advisors – and UK wealth managers are worried. Those that can adapt to a hybrid model will gain market share.

‘‘In addition to those discussed above, emphasis on brand building and a more selective asset allocation strategy are critical success factors in the UK wealth industry – all of which we explore in detail in the report.’’

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Gender Equality: UK’s 50,000-Strong Female HNW Population Is The Largest In Europe appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.