Membership - Frequently Asked Questions
Increasing the number of women leaders increases company profitability, drives value creation (innovation), shifts company culture to be more open and to take less risky decisions, increases employee engagement and the organisation becomes more socially just.[1]
With the global pandemic having a disastrous impact on the number of women in the workplace – four times as many women left their profession as men[2] – the World Economic Forum projects it will take 99.5 years to achieve gender parity.[3] Today male executives outnumber their female counterparts 7:1.[4] The need to support women in leadership has never been more critical.
However well intentioned, gendered pressures persist in mixed-sex settings. This in turn inhibits safety for women and suppresses their capacity to explore the gendered aspects of their leadership experiences.[5] Ensuring differences in leadership styles are understood, recognised and supported (especially where they differ from historic/current male ‘success’ archetypes) is critically important. The unique challenges faced by women is best overcome by providing more support not less.
- A purpose-built online community to support women globally (via web and mobile app)
- C-suite/VP women from globally listed companies, across all territories
- Member profiles, 24/7 discussion groups, common interests
- Live coaching sessions, with facilitated group coaching on common challenges
- Masterclasses, Think Tanks, Executive Workshops
- Interviews with Chairs, CEOs, NEDs, C-suite, WeQuals
- Monthly facilitated 1:1 introductions
- Facilitated peer-to-peer mentoring and coaching
- Best practice articles, Roundtables, CEO Interviews etc
Our experience has shown us that the following themes are key to retaining, engaging, and supporting promotion of leaders. They form the basis of our programmes;
- Connecting with, contributing to, and learning from a supportive, world class, global peer network
- Ensuring clarity on personal career goals and what is needed to advance
- Aligning on personal and organisational purpose to drive authentic strategic impact
- Identifying and overcoming professional and psychological barriers to progression[6]
- Building a reputation as a global thought leader on the topics that matter
- Increasing visibility, influence and gravitas
If the participation of women in the workforce was the same level as Norway, the US economy would be 8% larger ($1.6 trillion) than it is today.
The women joining WeQual Global Membership must be employed by a company listed on any public stock exchange, or with a minimum £500 million in revenues.
To ensure that the membership isn’t misused we do not allow any women from organisations offering coaching, recruitment, or any other service provided by WeQual.
- Executive; NED/C-suite/C-suite-1 (the vast majority of those in the Global Membership)
- VP: VP levels
- Associate: those with job grades below VP
[1] Harvard Business Review, April 2021; DDI Global Leadership Forecast 2021; McKinsey Women in the Workplace 2021; DDI’s Diversity and Inclusion Report 2020; Working Mother Media; Boston Consulting Group 2017: The Mix That Matters – Innovation Through Diversity; Catalyst, Socioeconomic Board Diversity (Trend Brief) 2020
[2] American Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2021
[3] Global Gender Gap Report 2020, World Economic Forum
[4] Gender Pay Gap, Morning Star 2021
[5] Debebe G, Anderson D, Bilimoria D, Vinnicombe SM. Women’s Leadership Development Programs: Lessons Learned and New Frontiers. Journal of Management Education. 2016;40(3):231-252. doi:10.1177/1052562916639079
[6] Professional barriers can include the need for P&L experience, international experience, board experience, taking on a key high-profile project/role, committee experience etc. Psychological barriers can include lack of confidence, fear of conflict, the need to increase assertiveness, improving communication, leading authentically etc.