Women in C-Suite Roles

You’re in the right seat - but still not invited to drive. That’s the reality facing many women on the path to CEO. According to the Eos Foundation’s 2025 Women’s Power Gap CEO Report, women now hold 24% of the critical ‘launchpad’ roles - that is, President, COO, Division Head - in S&P 100 companies. These are the roles that traditionally lead to the CEO role. Yet only 8% of CEOs appointed from these launchpad roles are women. The issue isn’t readiness. It’s access. Women are showing up in the right places. But when it comes to final decisions the system still tilts against them. The study found: 👉 Women CEOs are equally, if not more qualified (than men) 👉 Women are 32% more likely to have to serve an extra step en route to CEO 👉 Women are over-represented in non-P&L roles 👉 Women face a 67% drop off from launchpad roles to CEO 👉 Women of colour are barely represented in the most senior ranks 👉 CFO roles are good launchpad roles for women To close this gap, the report suggests 4 key actions: 1. Ensure women and under-represented groups get P&L experience 2. Tackle selection bias head on 3. Formalise sponsorship programmes for under-represented talent in the leadership pipeline 4. CEOs and the C-suite should act as Chief Talent Officers with personal involvement in nurturing succession talent, particularly those from minoritised groups. They should also role model family-friendly work practices What is your organisation doing to prepare women for C-suite and CEO roles? I'd love to hear some best practice sharing on this. #GenderEquity #WomenInLeadership #SuccessionPlanning #ShapeTalent

Only Men at the Top? Let’s Talk About It. I recently came across a ranking of the 20 highest-paid CEOs in the U.S. and something immediately stood out: Not a single woman made the list. Top earners like Jim Anderson ($101M), Brian Niccol ($95.8M), and Satya Nadella ($79.1M) are clearly leading major global companies. But where are the female CEOs? The gap isn’t just in pay it’s in opportunity. While women make up 58% of the U.S. workforce and more than 50% of college graduates, they hold only: • 10.4% of Fortune 500 CEO roles (as of 2023 a record high, yet still a fraction). • Less than 5% of the top 100 highest-paid CEO positions. • And when women do make it to the top, their average total compensation is 75% of what their male peers earn (Equilar data). Imagine the impact if more women had the same access to capital, mentorship, and sponsorship to reach — and thrive in — executive roles. What needs to change? • Equitable succession planning: Ensure women are included in pipelines for the C-suite. • Transparent pay audits: Equal pay for equal performance. • Real sponsorship, not just mentorship: Women need advocates in the boardroom. • Flexibility that works both ways: Support systems that don’t penalize caregiving responsibilities. Let’s not just celebrate progress let’s accelerate it. Because the next time this ranking is released, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see women on it. It should be the norm.

I'm happy share a report I co-authored with our repeated collaborators over at World Economic Forum: Closing the Gender Gap in Senior Leadership (June 2026). We have shown in many Global Gender Gap reports together over the last half decade the stark leadership gap women face across the world, and recently that momentum at the top has stalled. What we set out to do in this report was go beyond where the gaps are to why they're so persistent. A few findings have stuck with me: - The path to CEO runs through a narrow door. 76% of CEOs at the largest public companies had prior C-suite experience — most often CEO, CFO, or COO. Women hold only ~20% of CEO and ~30% of CFO/COO roles, with higher representation in such roles as Chief Human Resource Officer, Chief People Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer. Underrepresentation in typical "feeder" CXO positions becomes self-reinforcing. - Women build broader careers, but the system rewards a different shape. Women who reach the C-suite have, on average, worked across more functions and industries than men, yet often lack the P&L roles that convert experience into succession candidacy. - Networks are an invisible gatekeeper. Among C-suite professionals, men have ~31% more connections to other C-suite leaders. In the US, 45% of men report having a sponsor vs. 31% of women. - The care penalty is real and concentrated at the top. Women in top-level management are ~11x more likely than men to have taken a full-time parental leave, and women's career breaks last longer (19.6 vs. 13.9 months on average). These are system design problems, not talent-supply problems. The pipeline is full of qualified women, but structural factors limit the ability of women to make it to the end of that pipeline. I'm very grateful to everyone who contributed. If you care about building leadership pipelines that are both more inclusive and more resilient, give it a read: https://lnkd.in/dpSfXgE9 Special thanks to my LinkedIn's Economic Graph colleagues Silvia Lara and Sarah Steinberg, as well as the always-excellent WEF team leading this report: Silja Baller, Yanjun G., Julia Hakspiel, and Saadia Zahidi.

Just 29% of women in the C-suite say they aspire to the CEO role. For men, it’s 49%. That gap isn’t about ambition. It’s about environment. Too many women look at the CEO role and see: - Unsustainable pressure - A narrow definition of leadership - A personal cost they’re not willing to pay And they’re not wrong to question it. When leadership is modelled as constant availability, aggression over judgement, and burnout as a badge of honour, opting out can feel like self-preservation, not a lack of drive. But here’s the problem: When fewer women aspire to the top job, the system reinforces itself. Less representation. Fewer role models. The same leadership norms, repeated. So how do we change the conversation? → First, we need to broaden what leadership looks like. There is more than one way to be an effective CEO… and we should celebrate different styles, not punish them. → Second, we need visible pathways. Women need to see leaders who are building power and sustainable lives, not choosing one at the expense of the other. → Third, this isn’t a women-only issue. Male allies matter. Boards matter. Investors matter. If we want different outcomes, we need different signals about what success looks like. Aspiration doesn’t disappear in a vacuum. It’s shaped by what people believe is possible and worth it. If we want more women to aim for the CEO role, we need to make it a role they actually want to step into. 📷 - the always brilliant The Female Quotient

I wrote a few weeks ago about the multiple glass ceilings women have to break through to get to the C-Suite. Anjli Raval’s piece last week was a (disappointing and frustrating) confirmation that the battle doesn't end when you get to board level: while we’re making progress in achieving greater female representation on boards, we’re not seeing that progress reflected in top executive positions. Latest research from FTSE Women Leaders Review Women Leaders shows that, while two-thirds of the UK’s FTSE 350 companies have 40% female representation on boards, less than one-fifth have achieved that for executive leadership roles. We were initially optimistic that more women at board level would result in greater CEO representation, but it’s clear this more passive approach isn’t going to cut it. Tamara Box from the brilliant 30% Club UK% Club explains “the thinking was, if you got more women on boards, you would see the trickle-down and get more women into executive positions. That didn't happen." From poor senior female leadership talent pipelines to the motherhood penalty, there are a myriad of reasons why we’re facing such a stark CEO gender gap. It’s clear that we’re not structuring our corporate hiring, promoting, or supporting systems to meet the needs of working women. I’d argue some of this is because we’re trying to tweak systems that weren’t built with women in mind – we can’t even get office temperatures right! What we actually need is a fundamental rethink of how we build and structure companies in ways that equally support men and women, acknowledging their different needs and priorities. We can’t edit the rule book; we’re going to need to rewrite a lot of it.

We’re not done talking about retaining female leadership The latest headlines have lit a fire in my belly. Two very high-profile women have just exited government. One made a mistake; but what happened to forgiveness and second chances? The other was invited in but not made welcome. This isn’t new. We hear it over and over. Organisations set ambitious diversity targets, hire women into leadership with fanfare, but never fix the systems and culture that should support them. And then we wonder why the exits keep coming. This isn’t rocket science. Women aren’t that complicated. The systems are. Let’s talk about transparency “Clarity and transparency build credibility. Without them, leaders are just figureheads.” - Howard Schultz Most people start a new role on the back of shiny job descriptions, polished websites, and slick company videos. What’s usually missing? Honest insight into the challenges, the politics, and why others before you may have struggled. Too many roles fail before they’ve even begun,simply because nobody had the full picture. What does success really look like? Women hold just 32% of executive roles in FTSE-100 leadership teams, despite making up 51% of the UK population. And only 9% of FTSE-100 CEOs are women. But numbers aside, alignment matters. Before you sign on, ask: What does success look like for me, and for this business? Define it. Document it. Agree on it. Otherwise you risk being tied to a path you never chose. Politics is unavoidable, but it’s not the enemy Every big organisation has politics. And yes, promising change will ruffle feathers. The best female leaders I know don’t fear this. They communicate, they listen, and they bring even the sceptics on the journey. Politics isn’t the real threat. Silence is. The bigger picture Globally, only 33.5% of senior management roles are held by women. At this pace, we won’t see parity until 2053. In the U.S., women make up nearly half of entry-level roles but only 29% of the C-suite. And when women do make it to the top, their tenure is often shorter: 24% of women CEOs exit within two years, compared to just 10% of men. The issue isn’t lack of talent. It’s lack of support. Final thought If we want to keep women in leadership, glossy recruitment campaigns aren’t enough. The real work is in building cultures, systems, and leadership structures that actually support the women you bring in. Retention isn’t about keeping women in the room. It’s about giving them the clarity, trust, and authority to lead. #leadership #futureofwork #careers #WomenInLeadership #InclusiveLeadership #Culture #Talent

A highly qualified woman sat across from me yesterday.   Her resume showed 15 years of C-suite experience. Multiple awards. Industry recognition.   Yet she spoke about her success like it was pure luck.   SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT of female executives experience this same phenomenon.   I see it daily through my work with thousands of women leaders. They achieve remarkable success but internally believe they fooled everyone.   Some call it imposter syndrome. I call it a STRUCTURAL PROBLEM.   Let me explain...   When less than 5% of major companies have gender-balanced leadership, women question whether they belong.   My first board appointment taught me this hard truth.   I walked into that boardroom convinced I would say something ridiculous. Everyone seemed so confident.   But confidence plays tricks on us.   Perfect knowledge never exists. Leadership requires:   • Recognising what you know • Admitting what you miss • Finding the right answers • Moving forward anyway   Three strategies that transformed my journey:   1. Build your evidence file Document every win, every positive feedback, every successful project. Review it before big meetings. Your brain lies. Evidence speaks truth.   2. Find your circle Connect with other women leaders who understand your experience. The moment you share your doubts, someone else will say "me too."   3. Practice strategic vulnerability Acknowledging areas for growth enhances credibility. Power exists in saying "I'll find out" instead of pretending omniscience.   REALITY CHECK: This impacts business results.   Qualified women: - Decline opportunities - Downplay achievements - Hesitate to negotiate - Withdraw from consideration   Organisations lose valuable talent and perspective.   The solution requires both individual action and systemic change.   We need visible pathways to leadership for women. We need to challenge biased feedback. We need women in leadership positions in meaningful numbers.   Leadership demands courage, not perfect confidence.   The world needs leaders who push past doubt - not because they never experience it, but because they refuse to let it win. https://lnkd.in/gY9G-ibh

The dominant story about women and AI is wrong. And I've got the receipts ;) Last week at HumanX, Chief CEO Alison Moore took the keynote stage with new research we built together at The Harris Poll — surveying 1,000+ senior women leaders on how they're actually navigating AI inside their organizations, also featured in Fast Company. The myth: women are hesitant, sitting on the sidelines while everyone else races to deploy AI. The findings, in one sentence: ➡️ Women are leading, building, and scaling AI while protecting the human infrastructure underneath it. ⬅️ 80% of senior women leaders are already playing active strategic roles in their org's AI efforts. Not supportive of. Not open to. Actively shaping. And 71% of women leaders are the FIRST in their organization to spot emerging AI risks. That's not caution. That's FORESIGHT. 👀 And it's exactly what everyone misses about how these leaders operate. They're not just hitting the gas. ⚖️ They're the leaders thinking about how to ship AI fast AND how to keep the humans, the institutional knowledge, the leadership pipeline, and the critical thinking intact while we do it. And they're making time for the question missing in many C-suite conversations: 🌍 What kind of world are we actually building here? That's the question worth considering, because here's what's already happening: 📉 69% say their organization has already reduced entry-level jobs to some degree. The bottom rung is being sawed off in real time. And 81% of women leaders agree: "We won't have capable managers in the future if we don't invest in developing humans now." It's not a hot take. It's basic arithmetic. This is why 85% of women leaders believe companies that invest in both AI and people will outperform those focused on technology alone. The bottom line: Make sure you have women at your leadership tables. Not as a nice-to-have. Because they're bringing a fundamentally different orientation to this moment, one that is action-forward AND endurance-built. They're the ones asking what we stand to break if we move too fast. That's the difference between AI being the gamechanger we've all been promised vs. AI being the box we wish we never opened. Read the full analysis on The Next Big Think 👇 Huge thanks to Alison Moore, Sabrina Caluori, Ravi Sunnak and the entire Chief team for partnering on this, and to Danielle Sumerlin for leading it with me. 🚀

If Latinas moved through the corporate pipeline like white men, there would be 8x as many Latinas in the C-suite. 8 times! In 2023, between the entry level and the C-suite, white men’s representation increases by 64 percent while Latinas’ decreases by 78 percent—the most of any group. And the same patterns holds in previous years. An analysis of five years of data by Lean In finds two significant barriers across the pipeline that contibute to this outcome: One at the first step up to management and the other at the critical step up to senior leadership. 🪜 Alongside Black women, Latinas experience the most significant “broken rung” at the initial step up to management. For every 100 men promoted from entry level to manager, only 74 Latinas are promoted. 🪜 Alongside Asian women, Latinas have the lowest promotion rates of any group of women from director to VP. For every 100 men promoted to VP, 90 Latinas are promoted. This holds Latinas back at a key moment when the C-suite is finally in view. To fix these obstacles, companies must increase their focus on advancing Latinas, who face an especially steep path to senior leadership. Check out the full State of Latinas in Corporate America report here: https://lnkd.in/g2XNe3VJ

The women who make it to the C-suite without losing themselves don’t adapt to the culture. They redesign how leadership works inside it. Here’s the part that rarely gets said out loud - especially in healthcare: Most leadership exhaustion isn’t caused by the work. It’s caused by performance. Performative leadership asks: “Who do I need to be to be accepted here?” Intentional leadership asks: “What does this situation actually require of me?” That distinction changes everything. I’ve watched brilliant women in healthcare leadership spend years perfecting a version of themselves that looked credible - and felt unsustainable. Lowering their voices in meetings. Over-explaining decisions they’d already thought through. Leading the way the system rewarded, not the way they actually worked best. Here’s the framework I see shift things most often: Before a major decision, ask: – Am I solving the real problem, or performing leadership? – What would I do if I trusted my judgment without cushioning it? – Is this aligned with who I am, or who this environment trained me to be? Because authentic leadership in healthcare isn’t about finding your voice. It’s about using the one you already have - consistently. In practice, that looks like: – Making decisions using data and clinical intuition – Communicating clearly, without apologizing for competence – Building cultures where psychological safety is operational, not aspirational The women who thrive long-term aren’t the ones who learned to fit the mold. They’re the ones who stopped performing inside it. (And their teams don’t just feel better - they function better.) The pressure to conform is real. But losing yourself is expensive. ➕ Follow Dr Erica Kreismann for honest conversations about leadership and authenticity. ♻️ Repost if this belongs in your leadership conversations