18:00 – 19:00 | The business case for gender equality. Why a balanced workplace improves the bottom line and how to get there

Room: Bellevue

Speakers
Ian Clarke, Founder and CEO, Deilight Consulting
Ella Tyler, COO, Lead5050
Shoko Doherty, Chief Executive Officer, Celtic English Academy & Vice Chair, English UK
Silvia Diaz Queipo, Managing Director, Language Kingdom Group
Melissa Palleschi, Director of Business Development and Marketing, The PIE
Jago Brown, Data Champion, Lead5050 & Director, UK Language Courses (UKLC)

Description: 
For many years research has been coming out of universities and consultancies about the business case for equality. A McKinsey study in 2018 found that companies with gender diversity were, on average, 21% more profitable. Gallup found in a 2014 study that gender diverse business units have 14% more revenue and 19% greater net profit.

The statistics seem robust and clear that gender-equal organisations make better decisions, have greater sales, larger profits and better ROI.

Yet globally, despite being 50% of the workforce, women make up only 30% of senior managers, 20% of boards and only 5% of CEO’s. Less than 2% of private equity funding goes to female-led businesses and pretty much every country in the world has a gender pay gap that favours men.

So why are organisations not clamouring to implement a strategy proven to lead to better financial results and increase value? Why is gender balance not on many organisations’ strategic priorities?

Is it possibly because business leaders don’t believe the research?

Join the Lead5050 team and our panel to discuss the business case, diversity as a business priority, gender pay gaps, how we can use data to guide us and ultimately what we could and should be doing to make the most of this opportunity.