Accelerating Women Leadership In Companies
by Sangeeta Haindl
The Economist has named a female editor for the first time in its 172-year history: Zanny Minton Beddoes takes over as the 17th editor of the venerable weekly title. Also, last week, the Editorial Director at Justmeans coincidentally picked up on the very timely story featured in the New York Times, ‘Helena Morrissey, Aiming at Britain’s Glass Ceilings, Gets Results,’ which highlights that since 2010, the percentage of women on Britain’s top boards has nearly doubled, to 23 percent, while in the States, the figure has crept up to a meagre 17 percent. This lack of gender balance that exists in the boardroom is something that women leaders have been facing for far too long. Though the tide is changing and more women are being rising through the ranks, there is still much work to do and it needs to be quicker.
Jerry Stritzke, CEO and president of REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.), knows this and was joined by 13 industry CEOs who signed a pledge to accelerate women’s leadership in their companies. In addition to the pledge, developed by the Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition (OIWC), Stritzke announced a major initiative to spark innovation and mentor women entrepreneurs, supported by a $1.5 million grant. This project will change the nature of creativity and leadership in this very lucrative outdoor industry, which is a big part of the U.S. economy, supporting 6.1 million jobs.
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Photo Credit: Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition
Sangeeta Haindl writes on social innovation, social enterprise, and social entrepreneurs. She is the owner of Serendipity PR, in London, U.K., where she works with high-profile brands and organizations in the public, non-profit, and corporate sectors, winning awards for her work from the communications industry. She describes herself as a Spiritual Entrepreneur, Conscious Explorer, and Futurist. She enjoys helping others, paying it forward, and being a mum.
