Highlights from the inaugural CEW summit
September 15, 2022
I was fortunate to get the opportunity to attend the inaugural CEW summit organised by Chief Executive Women (CEW) along with a few others from Culture Amp. It was inspiring to see so many women in one room and I left with many ideas to mull over. Here are some highlights, thoughts, and lessons.
Their latest (2022) census data
- In the ASX300 there are only 18 women CEOs (no improvement from 2021)
- Only 4 in 28 CEO appointments were women
- 3 in 4 executive leadership roles are held by men
- 47 ASX300 companies have no women in their leadership team
- Almost 9 in 10 line* roles are held by men. 82% of CEOs came from line roles, 14% from CFO, and 4% from non CFO
- More than 8 in 10 CFO roles are held by men
*Line roles are ones that grow into a CEO role
400k women who are trained in STEM have opted out of those industries.
Suggested actions
- Set and monitor gender targets for leadership teams and line roles
- Lead from the top
- Make respect everyone’s business
- Embed equitable flexibility for all genders - in a way that doesn’t penalise people who use flexible models
- Reduce gender bias in recruitment and promotion processes
- Invest in building the pipeline of women leaders - succession planning is one way
They suggested focussing more on potential and capability than over-reliance on actual experience to improve the pipeline. Over time men have more easily had opportunities to accrue actual experience.
More companies are setting targets around gender balance in their exec team.
Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden said
“If you want to change the stories you have to change the story tellers”
She suggested giving the person who is structurally disadvantaged the most the opportunity to speak first in the meeting.
How do you have courage when it can be career limiting?
- Renew your energy - found the source and stoke it
- Have a larger dream than individual enhancement so that no one can take it away
- Look after yourself (mental and physical health)
On a skills panel a speaker shared that all the jobs and opportunities they’ve gotten were through a male sponsor. They talked about the importance of having a mentor and a sponsor.
The main causes of harassment issues at work
(it’s not really due to alcohol or a drinking culture)
- Power imbalance
- Gender inequality
- Lack of accountability (people who have done the wrong thing or appeared to have done the wrong thing have not been held to account)
- Lack of diversity
Preventative action > punitive action. Toxic masculinity can come from generational trauma.
“What gets measured gets managed”
If you leave a role or get promoted and backfill, replace yourself with a woman.
When a decision needs to be made, stop the discussion if there isn’t good representation in the room - reschedule the meeting with new attendees. Pull a junior into the room where a decision is being made.
The data they shared painted a bleak picture and one that mostly did not improve from 2021. Many of their personal journeys and stories were inspiring though and I’m glad I decided to attend even though I’m nursing an ankle injury.
Worth it.
