PWN London: EmpowHer Mastermind Series - Re-Wiring Project

PWN London held the second event in their new EmpowHer Mastermind Series, co-hosted by the University of Portsmouth and the RE-WIRING Project, a European funded initiative looking to solidify key practices which help organisations to re-wire themselves to provide improved gender balance and equality. Some of the current practices were discussed for our member and attendees feedback, including: 

•  Current practices for promoting women in leadership  
•  Sponsorship programs - used by Deutsche Bank
•  Opt-out programs for career development - used by Deloitte
•  Targets and Quotas - used by Accenture 

Together, the mastermind attendees shared examples of how these practices work in their real-world situations, to much diversity. One practice in particular was discussed in depth - the Opt-out programs in relation to women and imposter syndrome. The discussion highlighted, that this method is one of the most impactful for women's progression where all qualified individuals are automatically considered for promotion, rather than thinking they are not qualified enough for a role, and therefore not applying. Further conversation around pairing the opt-out method with mentorship or sponsorship to be more beneficial was a key takeaway for the research. 

Another interesting topic from the discussions was the lack of support among women in leadership roles from other women in their workplace. We discussed the need for more culture and environment research to understand and overcome this issue, which seemed counter-intuitive to the desires of the women interviewed. 

PWN London were thrilled to be able to bring this research opportunity to members, whose insights will help shape the future of women's progression across Europe.

To participate further in this research project, and explore new concepts and best practices for improving women's professional prospects, PWN London would like to invite global members to attend a global interactive webinar on 1st October at 9am - 11am GMT. 

Topics to be discussed include: 

• Women’s representation in the workplace 
• Persistent gender gaps in management 
• Strategies to 're-wire' institutions rather than 'fix women' 
• Being an agent of change in your organisation 
• Diversity burden (extra workload associated with admin/committee work that is often not valued in terms of career progression)
• Personal experiences of participants navigating workplace biases 

Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a transformative process and to share your experiences and ideas, register for free for the global webinar here (hyperlink to What Strategies Can Effectively Boost Women’s Presence in Leadership Roles (pwnlondon.co.uk)) 

We'd love to meet and discuss these provocative topics with the rest of our PWN family globally. 

Author: Cheska Witcomb, VP Marketing and Communications, PWN London

Editor: Rebecca Fountain, Marketing Consultant, PWN Global

Published: July 2024