Not so long ago it was a distinct disadvantage to be a woman in business. We are still a long way from squaring the ledger however, as the working world is recalibrating to globalisation and AI, women are increasingly coming out on top. Tired of trying to break the glass ceiling, women have climbed out the window and started their own start up or side hustle by their own rules. And it is working. Although men more than 75 percent of businesses are male-owned (U.S. Census Bureau figures), the number of businesses owned by women has grown by 20% in the last decade (compared with 5% growth rate for male-owned businesses), and they outperform the boys… by a long shot. Just remember, this is not a battle of the sexes. It is equal opportunity, where both men and women can take advantage of this new working landscape.
Companies with at least one female founder, and companies with women in leadership, outperform organisations which are more homogenous in their gender make up. And ‘feminine’ or soft skills such as communication and collaboration are highly valued and critical in today’s marketplace, especially as robots can perform many of the ‘masculine’ analytical and problem-solving skills better than we can. This month we cut the rhetoric on the inherent disadvantages facing women vs men in business, and celebrate the rise of the female founder. Our THOUGHT article turns to the latest research to discover the current competitive edge of being a women in business today. PROFILE features an interview with one of the fiercest female founders of fashion – the irrepressible Diane von Furstenberg. GUIDE is a fun look at the spaces in our city where men fear to tread, and TREND assesses the global girl power movement, and how that is changing how we do business.
Our month culminates with a special Friday champagne brunch and midday INSIGHT featuring 3 fierce female founders who have changed their corner of the marketplace. And for those that missed a ticket to our sell-out February Insight, we RECAP the full panel interviews for you.
