10 years, 10 stories

10 STORIES10 YEARS

WOMEN SHAPING THE FUTURE

COLLABORATION AND KINDNESS

4

THE MAGIC OF KINDNESS

Ten years ago we began a magical journey, not knowing where it would take us.

Woven into the fabric of this journey are the stories of some extraordinary women. Women who faced

every challenge imaginable and still made their mark, women who’ve used their voice on behalf of

those who have no voice. Through kindness and collaboration these women have shattered many

ceilings, letting in the light for others.

These are our Women of the Future.

‘10 Years, 10 Stories’ reveals the extraordinary spirit that defines these women – a spirit of kindness,

authenticity and collaboration. It celebrates the spirit that’s at the heart of our WOF Programme. We

hope that after reading this you’ll help us to keep that spirit alive.

PINKY LILANI CBE DL

Founder and Chairman of the Women of the Future Programme

5

‘10 Years, 10 Stories’ is a vivid account of the new ways in which young women

are shaping the future.

KPMG, as a firm, has been involved with Women of the Future since their early

days. For me, it has been a real privilege to witness the quality and spirit of

previous candidates over the last ten years, and the women featured in this book

truly are the best of the best.

The world is changing fast in relation to attitudes towards gender; with the

achievements of these inspirational role models helping to shape the future, and

empower the next generation of women, I look forward to seeing the positive

changes which can be accomplished by tomorrow’s female leaders.

MELANIE RICHARDS

Vice Chairman at KPMG UK

10 YEARS, 10 STORIES

6

Meeting Pinky was a spiritual experience. It was a normal busy day, where

I was rushing from one place to another, focused on what I needed to get

done. My conversation with Pinky stopped me in my tracks. She radiated

warmth and loving energy. Her message was clear: through generosity,

collaboration and kindness we make a difference to other women’s lives and,

ultimately, to the world.

I think we’d all like to do more for others, but sometimes the business of life

gets in the way. This is why Women of the Future helps us all. It helps us

recognise how many brilliant women there are and how we can help each

other become stronger and more powerful, individually and collectively.

Ten years of the awards gives us an opportunity to reflect on what has been

achieved by extraordinary women, doing extraordinary things. With Pinky and

her team’s help, we’ve gone back to talk to previous winners of a WOF Award.

We asked them what they had learnt from their own journeys, what wisdom

they wanted to pass on, and how Women of the Future has helped. This book

tells some of their stories and shows us what many of them feel and think. I

want to thank the brilliant team at Hall & Partners for their enthusiasm and

commitment to bringing these stories to life to inspire other women.

VANELLA JACKSON

Global CEO at Hall & Partners

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

7

18

LISA SMOSARSKI

14

ELIZA REBEIRO

20

LIV GARFIELD

12

JULES CHAPPELL

22

SHANAZ BEGUM


8

30

ELSPETH FINCH

26

BECCI TAYLOR

34

SERENA GUEN

36

VICKY JEWSON

28

CHARLOTTE

CROSSWELL

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

9

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE ARE:

97%

97%

DRIVEN

KIND

EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENTINTUITIVE

RESTLESS

COLLABORATIVEAUTHENTIC

93%

86%

56%

Source: Women of the Future Network research


10

97%

93%

93%EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENTCOLLABORATIVE

11

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

It never occurred to Jules when she was growing up that not

everyone believed there’s nothing girls couldn’t do. She names

Margaret Thatcher and a house mistress at her girls’ boarding

school as her two biggest influences. She feels lucky to have

overcome barriers before realising they even existed.

Whilst working at the Foreign Office, Jules did everything she could

to help women who weren’t so lucky, striving to help others break

through their constraints.

She describes her time in Guatemala, where she gave women a

voice against domestic violence, as confronting but also rewarding.

In Iraq, she worked seven days a week to give women of all

backgrounds self-belief, and the admittance they deserved into the

political process.

JULES CHAPPELLJules Chappell is a Partner at the corporate

and financial communications consultancy,

Hawthorn. She received an OBE in 2004 and

won the Women of the Future Community

Spirits Award in 2013. She’s an avid lacrosse

player with a mission to empower other women.

Jules calls winning her WOF Award nothing short

of ‘life changing’. She remembers being so nervous

on the night that, at one point, she didn’t want to

win. This feeling dissolved quickly when she heard

her name being called. Her acceptance speech gave

her the chance to champion yet another cause –

female genital mutilation.


12

IT NEVER

OCCURRED TO

JULES THAT

NOT EVERYONE

BELIEVED

THERE’S

NOTHING GIRLS

COULDN’T DO.

>>

>>

SO

ME

TH

ING

TO P

RO

VE

>>

EM

PO

WE

RIN

G >

>>

>

Jules hopes for a future where women don’t have to be recognised

independently. However, she stands strong in her belief that as long as

women face issues, especially around confidence, awards such as WOF

have an invaluable role to play. She says working with Pinky and WOF made

her realise that her contribution could be even more valuable than her work

at the Civil Service. It gave her the ‘kick up the bum’ she needed to make a

change, and helped her jump headfirst into the private sector in 2014.

Having made the transition, Jules felt she had something to prove for

the first time in as long as she could remember. She had to be brave and,

despite things not always going right, she says she’s loved and embraced

every second of the challenge.

Her husband sums it up best stating, “You’ve never worked harder, but

you’ve never been happier”.

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

13

Calling herself a ‘horrible little

kid’, Eliza says traditional

schooling was never quite

right for her. Instead, she

favoured environments where

she felt she had a voice and

could learn creatively, working

with people who genuinely

valued her opinions.

ELIZA REBEIRO Eliza Rebeiro founded Lives Not Knives when she was just 14

years old. She has the heart and the passion to do good; this

is what has always motivated this champion of youth.

>>>> INSPIRING CHANGE >> BRAVE >>>>


14

After being kicked out of her Catholic school and not taking

to home schooling, Eliza found the place where she could

thrive, a referral unit called Moving On. Eliza praises the

teaching she experienced there, saying that their approach

was to lend an ear and offer a coffee when issues arose,

rather than a detention slip.

It wasn’t all positive though. Eliza describes this time in her

life as ‘truly eye-opening’. She saw kids of all ages turn to

illegal activities, some out of lack of security and others

from absolute desperation.

It was witnessing a vicious attack on a friend that inspired

her to design a T-shirt with the simple slogan, Lives Not

Knives. This is where it all began.

ELIZA FAVOURED

ENVIRONMENTS

WHERE SHE FELT

SHE HAD A VOICE

AND COULD LEARN

CREATIVELY, WORKING

WITH PEOPLE WHO

GENUINELY VALUED

HER OPINIONS.

LIVES NOT KNIVES TODAY

FOUND IN OVER

150 SCHOOLS

EDUCATING

10,000 STUDENTS

Eliza set out with a new vision to educate children

on youth violence. She quickly became an authority

on the subject, sitting on advisory boards for

gang culture from 14 years of age. By the time

she was 16, Lives Not Knives was present in ten

secondary schools throughout Croydon. Today,

the programme can be found in over 150 schools,

educating approximately 10,000 students on youth

violence every year.

Eliza received the Women of the Future Young Star

Award in 2013 after her mum secretly nominated

her. She reflects on the night as being great fun;

however, she says that it’s the self-confidence and

network she’s developed as a result that was the

real prize.

In her own words, “It’s a lot of love, positivity, power

and energy. A family. It makes it clear that you can

motivate by just being the person you are and by

having a conversation. That’s the power of Women

of the Future.”

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

15

SELF BELIEF

37%

REGULARLY DOUBT

THEIR DECISIONS



16

59%

AGREE THAT AT TIMES THEY’VE

FELT LIKE A FAILURE

79%

SAY THE HARDSHIPS THEY’VE

ENCOUNTERED HAVE BEEN CRITICAL

TO THEIR SUCCESS

68%

HAVE DOUBTED THEIR ABILITY TO

ACHIEVE IN THEIR CHOSEN CAREERS

17

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

LISA SMOSARSKILisa Smosarski, the Editor of Stylist magazine,

grew up as a curious girl with a keen interest in

singing, theatre and dancing. Inspired by the TV

show Press Gang, Lisa spent her time pretending

to be a writer. This had a lasting effect.


18

Born in Thatcher’s time, Lisa felt that with a strong woman at

the top, anything was possible. She set her mind to becoming a

journalist as soon as she left school. She always believed that if

you’re clear on what you want and believe you can do it, you’ll

find success.

Lisa worked her way up with some of publishing’s biggest titles

including Bliss, New Woman and Smash Hits. She was then

given the opportunity of a lifetime: the launch of a new women’s

lifestyle magazine – Stylist.

Lisa and her team identified a new generation of women, one

that wanted to be spoken to intelligently and read content

about all aspects of their lives, not just men, fashion and gossip.

This was a winning concept. Lisa says the overwhelming positive

response from readers meant the early days of gruelling hours

never felt like hard work.

With motivating and empowering women being a shared goal

of both Stylist and Women of the Future, it didn’t take long for

Lisa and Pinky to connect.

Lisa won the Women of the Future Media Award in 2010. She

says the night filled her with a confidence and pride, and it has

had a long-lasting impact.

LISA AND HER

TEAM IDENTIFIED A

NEW GENERATION

OF WOMEN, ONE

THAT WANTED TO

BE SPOKEN TO

INTELLIGENTLY AND

READ CONTENT

ABOUT ALL ASPECTS

OF THEIR LIVES.

LISA BELIEVES

THAT BRILLIANT

WOMEN SHOULD

BE RECOGNISED

FOR THE THINGS

THEY DO.

Knowing that gender disparity is still an issue in many industries,

Lisa believes that brilliant women should be recognised for the

things they do. Her advice to young girls is to have self-belief,

remain resilient and always fight to keep women’s access to

education and opportunity at the top of the agenda.

As a working mum of two and a lover of all things creative, fun

and new, the key to Lisa’s happiness is to balance work and

play. She says she’s lucky to have so many incredible people in

her life; it’s a challenge not to keep the diary jam-packed with

eating, drinking and exploring.

>>

>>

NE

W G

EN

ER

AT

ION

OF

WO

ME

N >

>>

>WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

19

THERE’S

NOTHING LIV

LOVES MORE

THAN GETTING

THE BEST OUT

OF PEOPLE.

With her childhood goal of being an Everton football

manager not panning out, Liv instead started her career

with the Accenture Graduate Programme. Spending much

of her time abroad, it was at Accenture that she developed

an understanding of organisational design, learning and

development.

Liv got to hone these skills in 12 years at BT where she

eventually became CEO of their Openreach division. She joined

Severn Trent in 2013.

Liv says her leadership style is completely focused on

empowerment. This is because there’s nothing she loves more

than getting the best out of people.

Despite working in male-dominated industries, Liv says she’s

never found being a woman in leadership a challenge. Rather,

she believes she’s had amazing support around her and has

always been in teams that hire based on skill, not gender.

LIV GARFIELDIf Severn Trent CEO, Liv Garfield, was

summed up in one word, it would be

‘enthusiastic’. Coming from a long line of

hardworking family people, Liv says she’s

a big believer in the sentiment, ‘if you’re

going to do something, do it 100%’.


20

As the winner of the 2008

Women of the Future Business

Award, Liv reflects on what a

lovely experience it was. She

recalls being interviewed by

Richard Reid as part of the

judging. She left feeling like

he’d brought out the best in her

through his engaging style.

Liv believes that the confidence

created by the WOF Awards

doesn’t just benefit the winners;

the mere fact that someone

took the time to personally

nominate you is a confidence

boost in itself.

Looking ahead to the next generation of leaders, Liv believes

it’s everybody’s responsibility to act as a mentor or coach in

some capacity. She feels that this is a sign of true kindness,

as is people looking out for each other or offering time and

access to their network to help someone. She believes those

who are kind and collaborate are more likely to get on and

have a better chance to succeed.

>>>> STRONG >> PASSIONATE >> ENCOURAGING >>>>

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

21

SHANAZ BEGUM As Executive Officer at Mulberry School for Girls,

where she once attended, Shanaz Begum has worked

hard to instil the mantra ‘anything is possible’.

After studying Media and Sociology at Goldsmiths University,

Shanaz returned to Mulberry School for Girls as Women’s

Education Officer, a revolutionary role at its time.

In this position, Shanaz worked very closely with the students

to build aspirational programmes and opportunities for them.

This goal has remained fundamental to her ever since.


22

The height of her achievements came earlier this year, when

Shanaz oversaw Michelle Obama’s visit to the school. Astonished,

she reflects on how a girl from Tower Hamlets suddenly found

herself making calls to the White House.

Shanaz remembers Michelle Obama simply stating, “My story is

your story”, a sentiment that resonated with the students as the

First Lady presented her strong message of equality.

In her role as student ambassador for Goldsmiths University,

Shanaz built a strong network with some of London’s leading

organisations. This enables her to provide her students with

opportunities they may never otherwise have had access to.

More recently, Shanaz was selected to be part of the US

Ambassador’s Young Leaders UK Programme, an advisory group

with Ambassador Barzun for young leaders under 30. They look

at ways in which the UK and US relationship can be strengthened

and also provide positive platforms for young voices to be heard.

One of her connections was with BBC filmmaker, Fiona Lloyd-Davies.

Shanaz pitched the idea of taking a group of students to Bosnia to

create a film about justice 20 years on from the genocide. The film,

Justice in Action, won Best International Documentary at the People’s

Film Festival in New York, and the Making a Difference Award at the

Toronto Film Festival.

Shanaz’ passion for wanting to make a real difference in the lives of her

students did not go unnoticed; with the help of their Headteacher, her

students secretly nominated her for the Women of the Future Awards

in 2012. Shanaz didn’t find out until she was shortlisted for the Public

Service Award.

She remembers feeling out of place next to the other strong nominees.

It was her grandmother’s empowering words that got her through,

“Remember, you’re nobody’s inferior and you’re also nobody’s

superior”.

Having finished her law conversion course, Shanaz had planned to do

her LPC and practice law. However, she said winning the WOF Award

made her pause and reconsider her path. Instead, she chose to stay

at Mulberry School for Girls, where she was able to move into a more

strategic position, helping bring positive opportunities to the lives of

young women every day.

A GIRL FROM

TOWER

HAMLETS

SUDDENLY

FOUND

HERSELF

MAKING CALLS

TO THE WHITE

HOUSE.

>>

>>

CO

MPA

SS

ION

AT

E >

> A

MB

ITIO

US

>>

EM

PO

WE

RE

R O

F Y

OU

TH

>>

>>

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

23

COLLABORATION93% 86%

IDENTIFY WITH BEING

COLLABORATIVE

SAY THEY SEEK TEAM

MEMBERS THAT BRING A

DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW



24

COLLABORATION82% 77%

BELIEVE THEY WOULDN’T HAVE ACHIEVED THE

SAME SUCCESS WITHOUT THE RIGHT NETWORK

OF COLLEAGUES AND SUPPORTERS

THINK FEMALE LEADERS ARE MORE

COLLABORATIVE THAN MALE

25

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

BECCI TAYLORAs a woman working in construction, Mechanical Building

Services Engineer Becci Taylor knows she’s unique. It’s a

quality she thinks all women should strive for.

Describing herself as a determined child, Becci’s strong-minded nature

has helped her find her place in this male-dominated profession.

After graduating from Kings College, Cambridge, Becci joined Arup,

where she’s grown her career ever since.

When asked what advice she’d give other young women pursuing a

similar path, Becci says the key is to embrace and utilise your own

particular set of skills. She also believes in having a supportive network

of people around you.

Becci is a huge advocate of mentorship. While she’s played the role of

mentor several times, she says it’s now often the juniors in her team

that surprise and inspire her the most.

In 2012, Becci won the Women of the Future

Science and Technology Award. She impressed the

judges with her total commitment, passion and

youthful enthusiasm.

Being as shocked by winning as by being

nominated in the first place, Becci remembers using

her speech to send a strong message to women

like her. She wanted them to know that women

don’t have to imitate men; they just need to be

themselves and let their skills shine.

IF YOU DON’T

SEE ANY WOMEN

IN LEADERSHIP

ROLES, IT’S VERY

HARD TO IMAGINE

YOURSELF GETTING

TO THE TOP.


26

Since her win, Becci says she’s

benefitted from a new supportive

network. She relishes being

surrounded by ambitious women

who encourage each other and

seek advice and support.

Becci also says her win raised her profile as a

female leader within the industry. She believes

that the true value of awards is that they help put

female leaders centre stage.

Becci believes that seeing women in leadership

roles is really important. Without this, it’s very

hard for a female to imagine herself getting to the

top. The Women of the Future Awards raise more

successful women into the limelight.

BECCI KNOWS SHE’S

UNIQUE. IT’S A

QUALITY SHE THINKS

ALL WOMEN SHOULD

STRIVE FOR.

>>>> ONE OF A KIND >> DETERMINED >>>>

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

27

CHARLOTTE CROSSWELLAs CEO of Nasdaq NLX and the mother of a busy

seven year old, Charlotte Crosswell knows a lot

about hard work and balancing commitments.

From an early age, Charlotte realised that working hard was

the best way she would achieve her goals. Her desire to always

put the maximum into her job still drives her today.

However, Charlotte doesn’t believe her success is due to hard

work alone. She says it was the mentorship and support she

received in an industry that’s not always known for people

development which was key.

Throughout her career, Charlotte has made collaboration

central to what she does. Her leadership style embodies it

completely. She believes you’re not a good leader if you’re

doing it on your own. Success, she says, comes down to having

others around you who share the same vision and values.

YOU’RE NOT A

GOOD LEADER IF

YOU’RE DOING IT

ON YOUR OWN.


28

Charlotte also advocates leading

from the front, and believes in

working hard and achieving high

standards for herself and her team.

She’s overcome naysayers who

thought a woman couldn’t do the job.

While she admits she can be a hard

taskmaster at times, Charlotte says

people appreciate that she gives

absolutely everything she has.

She describes winning her Women

of the Future Business Award in

2007 as ‘completely unexpected’. To

this day, she still doesn’t know who

nominated her.

Seeing it as an incredible opportunity to get out of her ‘city

bubble’, Charlotte says the award encouraged her to become

more of a spokesperson for women.

For her, the importance of the Women of the Future Awards

lies in the support and recognition of young women building

their careers. She hopes that showcasing the achievements of

female leadership lights the way for a more naturally gender-

balanced future.

AWARDS HELP

LIGHT THE WAY

FOR A MORE

NATURALLY

GENDER-

BALANCED

FUTURE.

>>>> COMMITTED >> APPRECIATIVE >> SPOKESPERSON >>>>

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

29

ELSPETH FINCHElspeth Finch is the Director of

Innovation, UK for Atkins. She’s

always had an appetite and mind for

revolutionary ideas, loving to make

something out of nothing.


30

At school, Elspeth was split between her love

for both sciences and arts. Her first taste of

entrepreneurship was when she started the school’s

very first yearbook. It stuck with her.

Elspeth believes collaboration is the key to

delivering new thinking. She’s a huge advocate for

mentorship and says it was her time interning at a

startup when she was 20 that’s had the most lasting

effect, calling the experience of working directly

with their CEO ‘simply incredible’.

At just 24 years old, Elspeth saw an opportunity to start her

own specialist consultancy, Intelligent Space. Here she focused

on understanding and improving how people use towns and

cities. After seven successful years, she was given an amazing

offer and sold her business to Atkins, which had common

interests when it came to designing infrastructure.

Inspired by the freedom to do things differently, Elspeth led

some ground-breaking projects, including the redesign of

Oxford Circus. In 2013, she was awarded the Royal Academy

of Engineering Silver Medal in recognition of her commercial

success and for the advancement of engineering in the UK.

In addition to overseeing the Atkins University Link Programme, Elspeth is the Chair

of the Innovators Network at the Royal Academy of Engineering. She also mentors

startups through the Academy’s Enterprise Hub.

In 2008, Elspeth won the Woman of the Future Entrepreneur Award. She recalls a

fantastic night, and felt honoured to be recognised for her achievements.

Elspeth says winning the award improved her visibility within the organisation

and helped her build networks across the industry. It opened doors to lots of

introductions and conversations she would otherwise never have had.

Elspeth believes that being a good leader is not an end destination. It takes

continuous listening, reflection, adaption and improvement.

INSPIRED BY

THE FREEDOM

TO DO THINGS

DIFFERENTLY.

ELSPETH

LOVES

TO MAKE

SOMETHING

OUT OF

NOTHING.

>>

>>

INN

OV

AT

IVE

>>

INS

PIR

ING

>>

>>

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

31

CHARACTER



32

HAVE BEEN CALLED ‘BOSSY’

IN THE WORKPLACE

54%

ARE OPEN WITH THEIR TEAM

ABOUT THEIR OWN PERSONAL

DEVELOPMENT AREAS

77%

IDENTIFY AUTHENTICITY AS BEING

KEY FOR A SUCCESSFUL LEADER

97%

BELIEVE THAT BEING A WOMAN

GIVES THEM DIFFERENT

STRENGTHS AND ADVANTAGES

83%

33

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

SERENA GUENSerena Guen is Director and Editor-in-Chief of

SUITCASE Magazine. She’s always been a keen traveller,

and started out by writing a travel journal for her friends

and family. It soon attracted a wider audience. Realising

there weren’t any publications that catered to her and

her peers, Serena decided to create her own.

>>>> ADVENTURER >> INDEPENDENT >> GENUINE >>>>


34

Serena’s vision for SUITCASE was to give readers

something they hadn’t experienced before; an

inspiring look into cultures and places, without any

predictable stereotyping.

With a desire to make something truly unique, Serena

decided to go with her gut instinct. She opted to

create a print magazine, despite many telling her it

was a ‘dying medium’.

When asked about her extraordinary drive to

succeed, Serena says she’s lucky enough to have

never seen anything else. She comes from a long line

of entrepreneurs who, even in retirement, continue to

fulfil their passions and ‘keep their brains alive’.

Believing determination is in her blood, Serena says

this quality has opened many doors for her and

SUITCASE. She describes herself as a ‘sponge’ who

loves to observe.

Serena has always taken the time to build genuine relationships

with people. This approach has helped create once-in-a-lifetime

opportunities, such as exclusive photo shoots in the palaces of

Jaipur and the World Cup Final Stadium in Brazil.

Serena has built many new relationships with the Women of the

Future network and says the admiration and mutual respect that

she’s experienced has already led to incredible partnerships. This

includes her founding role in UNICEF’s Next Generation Programme

with fellow WOF winner, Catrin Nye.

Serena believes winning the Women of the Future Media Award

in 2014 helped legitimise her at a young age. In her own words,

“Friends and family are saying ‘Well done’, but it’s really nice to have

someone else say that, somebody that doesn’t know you”.

When asked what advice she would give to those wishing to follow

in her footsteps, Serena says it’s all about having goals, finding a

structure and being adaptive. She also says it’s important to never

let your ego get in the way.

TAKE THE

TIME TO BUILD

GENUINE

RELATIONSHIPS

WITH PEOPLE.

IT CAN CREATE

ONCE-IN-A-

LIFETIME

OPPORTUNITIES.

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

35

JUST GO

OUT AND

TRY IT,

RATHER

THAN THINK

ABOUT IT.

Vicky remembers spending school holidays with her friends,

putting on plays or creating films. It was these early ventures

that fuelled her go-getting nature. She loved to create

something out of nothing. This is how Jewson Films began.

Her family have always been her source of unwavering support.

They taught her that she could do anything; to just go out and

try it, rather than think about it.

This has helped shape Vicky’s life mantra: “Whatever you dream,

you can do. Begin it, because boldness has genius, power and

magic in it.”

Vicky is an enthusiast who believes that every mistake is an

opportunity to learn. She says it takes grit and determination to

succeed, and the key is to visualise, do and win.

Unable to switch off, Vicky says she has some of her best

ideas when she’s somewhere completely new. She sees her life

as a rich tapestry, one where her career allows her to travel

constantly and meet new people.

VICKY JEWSONFrom a young age, filmmaker Vicky Jewson

invariably had a camera in her hands. She loves

nothing more than storytelling, claiming it’s

always been a part of her life and is in her DNA.


36

Vicky was one of the first Women

of the Future winners, being

presented with the Arts, Media

and Culture Award in 2006. She

believes awards such as Women of

the Future exist, in a wider sense,

to connect people from various

industries, who otherwise may

never get the chance to learn from

and be inspired by one another.

Since winning her award, Vicky has

been able to develop strong new

connections through the Women of

the Future network. She says not only

has she met new investors and people

willing to stock her films in store, but

also plenty of people she’s been able to

help in return.

>>>> EXPLORER >> CREATIVE >> DREAMER >>>>

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

37

CHARACTERISTICS AND

ATTITUDES OF SUCCESSFUL

FEMALE LEADERS DRIVEN

AUTHENTIC

EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT

OPEN TO EXPERIENCES

KIND

INTUITIVE

TAKE ON ADVICE

RESTLESS

COLLABORATIVE

GENEROUS

SEEK DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW

BRING A VARIETY OF STRENGTHS AND ADVANTAGES

HARDSHIPS CONTRIBUTE TO SUCCESS

OPEN ABOUT PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

COMPROMISE PERSONAL TIME FOR CAREER PROGRESSION

CALLED ‘BOSSY’ BY COLLEAGUES

GAIN SUCCESS THROUGH SUPPORTIVE NETWORKS

COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP APPROACH

HAVE DOUBTED THEIR ABILITY TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS IN CAREER

HAVE DOUBTED DECISIONS THEY’VE MADE

BELIEVE PARENTHOOD MAKES BETTER LEADERS

AT TIMES, HAVE FELT LIKE A FAILURE

MULTI-TASKER

CHARACTERISTICS

ATTITUDES



38

93

86

97

77

59

94

85

82

68

56

40

87

83

79

66

54

%

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

39

“GENUINE EQUALITY, AND CONFIDENCE THAT

MAKING A CHOICE ABOUT WHETHER TO

HAVE CHILDREN, OR TAKE ON OTHER CARING

RESPONSIBILITIES OUTSIDE WORK, DOESN’T

HINDER THEIR ABILITY TO PROGRESS.”

“THAT MEN WILL START

SHARING THE BURDEN OF

CARE AT HOME SO THAT

WOMEN AREN’T ALWAYS

SUFFERING FROM THE

DOUBLE SHIFT.”

“FOR WOMEN TO FEEL EMPOWERED

AND TO RECOGNISE AND

CELEBRATE SUCCESS WHEN THEY

ACHIEVE IT – WHATEVER THAT

LOOKS LIKE.”



40

“THAT THEY’RE

NOT DEFINED

AS A FEMALE

LEADER.

THEY ARE A

LEADER.”

“THAT DIVERSITY IN ITS WIDEST SENSE

WILL BE SEEN AS BENEFITTING BUSINESS

AND NOT JUST FILLING QUOTAS. FEMALE

STRENGTHS WILL BE WELCOMED, NOT

TOLERATED. FAMILY LIFE WON’T BE SEEN

AS INCOMPATIBLE WITH WORK LIFE.”

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WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

HALL & PARTNERS TEAM

We are the Hall & Partners team, and we’re delighted to have partnered with

the Women of the Future Awards team to produce this celebration of female

leadership and achievement.

Our objective was simple: to capture an honest account of the stories,

characteristics and hopes for female leaders of the future, from some truly

inspirational women.

To do this, we conducted an online survey of people that have participated in

this programme over the past ten years. This included winners, nominees and

judges of the Women of the Future Awards. We talked to the whole range of

the award categories. We received responses from 94 inspiring women, and

have peppered their insights throughout this book. We hope you find them

interesting, relatable and uplifting.

Alongside the online survey, we also conducted ten face-to-face interviews

with past winners. An open conversation with each of these women, covering

both their professional and personal motivations, enabled us to dig deep into

the characteristics of a modern female leader. While their stories are diverse,

we all felt exhilarated by what these amazing and very real women achieved.

We know there’s still more to come from them.

We hope you’ll enjoy reading this tribute as much as we enjoyed making it.


42

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE

43

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10 years, 10 stories

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