Twice As Many Women Appointed CEO In 2021 - Bonnie Gwin, Heidrick & Struggles

“Diversity matters. Building diverse boards, building diverse suites, ensuring you have diversity. And I mean, in the broadest sense, it’s not just gender, it’s every aspect. It’s life experience, it’s geographic it’s age. I mean, there’s a wide range of things that go into diversity. I think diversity matters and companies realize that very clearly.” Bonnie Gwin on Electric Ladies Podcast

All the shifts in 2020-2021 – from covid to climate change to social pressures – caused “a lot of turnover in the CEO suite” this year, as Heidrick & Struggles Vice Chair Bonnie Gwin explained to host Joan Michelson on Electric Ladies podcast. It’s caused a greater focus on “resilience, empathy, agility, ability to articulate, communicate, inspire people, keep people moving forward in very difficult times. All those are skills that a lot of CEOs have had in the past, but they’ve really moved to the forefront.” And that seems to have caused a spike in women appointed as CEO in the first half of 2021, according to a new Heidrick report.

Listen to Bonnie Gwin explain these trends and findings in this fascinating interview.

You’ll hear about:

Why empathy and resilience and communication are no longer considered “soft skills” but are prerequisites for the C-suite
Where these women – and all the new CEOs are coming from and how they’re being recruited.
Why this matters at all.
What we can all learn from these trends for our own careers.
Plus, insightful career advice ….

Build a foundation of skills and, and get sponsors, not just mentors but people who will advocate for you, and make sure that you rotate through different roles. Career advice from Bonnie Gwin on the Electric Ladies podcast

Read Joan’s related Forbes articles here too.

You’ll also want to listen to:

Michele Wucker, thought leaders and author of “You Are What You Risk: The New Art & Science to Navigating an Uncertain World.”
Barbara Whye, Chief Diversity Officer of Apple, and former VP of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer of Intel.
Roberta Rincon, Society of Women Engineers, Director of Research, on the status and careers of women in various types of engineering roles.
Telle Whitney, Former CEO of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Cofounder of the Grace Hopper Conference
Angela Duckworth, Author of “Grit” on how passion and perseverance are more valuable than talent, whose TED Talk has been viewed over 21 million times.

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