Celebrating Female Leadership and Entrepreneurship

Women hold 34% of senior management roles;

Firms with no women in their senior teams are increasingly rare (only 4.1%); and

The three most frequently held leadership roles for women are Human Resources Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Marketing Officer. 

The proportion of women in chief financial officer roles has increased to 49%. 

Women now hold 27% of chief technology officer positions. 

The percentage of women in C-suite roles, including chief sustainability officers and chief communications officers, outpaces global averages.

Innovation impact: 23% report increased innovation

Decision-making improvements: 19% report better decisions

Client and investor attractiveness: 20% report improved attraction

Cultural benefits: 31% report a culture where all employees feel they’re treated equally

Amira Rasool featured on the 2024 Forbes “30 Under 30” list for being one of the youngest Black women to raise over US$1 million in pre-seed funding for her company, The Folklore, which helps small brands succeed online. The majority of her clients are Black-owned businesses in the USA.

Anna Lim is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Soup Spoon, Singapore’s biggest soup chain. With the extra challenge of prioritising sustainability, she and her team grew the business from a home-based initiative into a city-wide chain store, and then into a global manufacturer and collection of culinary brands. Anna's entrepreneurial talents have been recognised with the Spirit of Enterprise CLA Global TS Entrepreneurship Award, the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurship Award and more. 

In 2025, Fungai Ndemera was named one of the Top 100 African Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders in the UK by the African Business Chamber. She founded CheckUp Health, a pioneering software that supports healthcare providers and makes digital healthcare accessible for all. She’s won several awards for her achievements in business development, healthcare, and technology.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw founded Biocon, a biotechnology company in India. A staunch advocate for affordable medicines in less-wealthy countries, she found opportunities to develop cost-effective development techniques, so that people can afford the medicines they need. In 2014, she received the Othmer Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to the progress of science and chemistry. In 2020, she was named EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year. And as of 2024, her net worth was estimated to be US$3.6 billion.

When Melanie Perkins was a 19-year-old university student, she came up with the idea for a software that could make design accessible to all. She went on to build Canva, which was valued at more than US$1 billion, making her one of the youngest female CEOs of a unicorn tech start-up. And by 2021, she had gained an estimated net worth of US$4.4 billion. Her commitment to accessibility continues as she eliminates bias from the hiring process, resulting in 41% female representation at Canva, much higher than the 2% industry average.

Whitney Wolfe Herd became one of the world’s youngest female self-made billionaires by founding Bumble, the dating app that creates an empowering environment for women. At the age of 31, she became the youngest woman in the U.S. to lead a company through an IPO. Throughout her career she has promoted women’s rights and advocated against online harassment. 

Zhang Xin is regularly named one of the most successful women in business. She is the co-founder of SOHO China, the largest prime office developer in Shanghai and Beijing. Heralded as the “woman who built Beijing”, she is famous for her daring and creative collaborations with international architects that have made Beijing’s skyline so iconic.

Insufficient legal protection and a lack of supportive legal frameworks

Limited access to capital from banks and venture capitalists

Societal stereotypes about women’s roles 

Unequal distribution of family responsibilities

Limited flexible work options

Limited access to mentorship and support networks

Psychological challenges such as low self-esteem

Specify the strategy: Grant Thornton’s research reveals that although many businesses understand that gender parity is a source for potential growth, they often lack a clear purpose behind their equality strategies. Therefore, it is important to define specific, measurable goals for increasing gender diversity, such as for equal pay, promotions and recruitment, as well as having specific ambitions for women in leadership roles.

Put the pressure on: The research also reveals that pressure from clients, investors, regulators and consultants is a powerful driver of change. More than half (56.3%) of businesses that have faced this type of pressure say the percentage of women in leadership roles has risen as a direct result. 

Increase flexibility options: The future is flexible. The more a business can offer flexible work options, whether through work schedules or work locations or a combination of the two, the more diverse and innovative the talent it will attract. These options allow women who bear the burden of family responsibilities to advance in their careers and to build support networks. For more about adapting your business to keep up with flexibility trends, see our article “Surviving & Thriving in 2025: The Business Trends Defining 2025”. 

Support women-owned businesses: We often forget how influential we, as clients, can be. We vote with our wallets, and we should not underestimate the impact we can have when we stop for a minute to consider who we are supporting with our purchases and why.

Change the narrative: Whether we know women entrepreneurs or not, we can all help boost self-esteem among our peers with encouraging words and inclusive actions. Every person in a minority or under-represented group can be uplifted by even the smallest opportunity for training, development, recognition and reward.