28 roundtable: women in business


Hosted by Barclays, Blake Morgan and The Business Magazine, this discussion focused on Shattering Stereotypes: Women in Entrepreneurship research carried out by the Centre for Entrepreneurs (CFE) and Barclays, which looked at the perceptions and reality of women’s attitudes and behaviours towards business ambition and performance


Shattering stereotypes, unlocking more female talent Participants


Annette D’Abreo: Managing director, Ceuta Healthcare


Maria Llorens: Principal mechanical engineer, Bowman Power Group


Tamsin Napier-Munn: Projects manager, The Business Magazine


Simon Pasco: Regional director, Thomas International


Victoria Peterkin: Managing director, Daisy Nursery


Kath Shimmin: Partner, Blake Morgan


Kathleen Smith: Business services director, The Serocor Group


Maria Hoeritzauer: Associate, Crossland Employment Solicitors


Ross Wilson: Chairman, Wilson Partners Group


Lined up to debate: our roundtable team Journalist John Burbedge reports the roundtable highlights


Are we doing enough to encourage and support women?


The Business Magazine host Tamsin Napier-Munn welcomed the Roundtablers, including three 2015 Women in Business award-winners, by highlighting the recent words of Carolyn Fairbairn, the CBI’s first female director general.


Underlining the importance to UK economic prosperity of unlocking female talent, Fairbairn had called for a new voluntary target of 25% female senior executives in major UK companies, and more help for capable women to progress from entry-level to senior management positions.


“Today, there are just nine more female executive directors on FTSE-350 boards than in 2010 and the number of female chief executives has barely moved.” FTSE-100 female executive directors represent less than 10%, Fairbairn explained.


“We don’t have enough women running things and it is not getting better anything like fast enough,” she had added.


Napier Munn also highlighted the UK 2010-launched 30% Club with its goal of a 30% minimum of women on FTSE-100 boards. It believes in business growth through diversity; better gender balance on boards, not only encouraging improved leadership and governance but also contributing ultimately to improved corporate performance.


Uncover, understand, then break down the age- old barriers


Chairing the Roundtable, Jagdeep Rai highlighted some key findings of the Barclays/CFE “Shattering Stereotypes” research:


• Businesswomen have stronger entrepreneurial ambitions than their male counterparts


Jagdeep Rai


• They value steady, profitable growth above making a quick-profit


• Want to be recognised for business achievements more than gender expectations


• See risks differently, but like men are very much risk takers, and


• Don’t necessarily lack business confidence; they are simply less bullish.


Business THE M A GA ZINE www.businessmag.co.uk TM


“I still go to meetings where people tell me I don’t look like a banker, but what does a banker look like today?” People still have this stereotypical view of a banker as a grey- suited male, and it’s barriers like this that we need to break down,” she explained.


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – MARCH 2016 Jagdeep Rai:


Head of business and corporate banking, Barclays, chaired the discussion


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