Alicia Yi, Managing Director of Korn Ferry’s Asia Pacific Consumer Market was our guest speaker for the Leadership Series event on 29 June 2018. Using findings from a recent piece of research on the common personal attributes and workplace experiences that prepare women to become CEOs, Alicia shared several recommendations on what companies can do to fuel a pipeline of female CEOs:

• Articulate Roles in Terms that Engage Women

Research shows that women leaders are often motivated by a sense of purpose rather than factors such as status, power and reward. Female CEOs tended to pursue roles that allowed them to make a difference not just by adding value to the business but also advance something that the community, customers or employees benefited from. Organisations need to communicate the impact, outcomes and meaningful contributions of the executive role to attract more women talent.

• Identify Potential Early

Companies should identify women talents early on in their careers and provide them with both horizontal and vertical moves and access to a variety of line management, P&L and operational roles to help them broaden their experience. Getting to the top requires presence, courage and the ability to inspire others – qualities that can only be developed with a wide range of experience in core business functions.

• Ensure Sponsors

Unlike mentors who offer encouragement and advice, sponsors take a more hands-on approach in managing career development and promoting executives as potential CEOs. They are often in a position of power and can thus open doors to the right jobs and experiences. Women executives could be ready to sooner but they often have to work harder and longer to get to the CEO role. Sponsors can provide the support needed to accelerate their careers.

Following her presentation was a lively Q&A with participants. The Chamber would like to thank Alicia for the highly engaging talk and for sharing her knowledge and insights.

Click here to access the full Women CEOs Speak report which contains strategies for the next generation of female executives and how companies can pave the road forward.