Praesta LEADERS IN EXECUTIVE COACHING

Women in the Boardroom

Praesta’s Peninah Thomson is (see below) a leading authority on the role of women in business – their development as senior executives; making the most of their talents; and their vital contribution to creating shareholder value.

Peninah’s recently published book – A Woman’s Place is in the Boardroom (Palgrave Macmillan) – co-authored with Brook Graham’s Jacey Graham – takes the debate further via an in-depth, but lively study of why talented women are still confronted with 'barriers to entry' at the highest level, and what organisations can do about this. The book – including feedback from Chairman and CEOs from FTSE100 and Fortune 500 companies – combines analysis of the problem with practical advice. The primary focus is on helping business leaders to understand the need to change male-orientated corporate cultures which, overtly or covertly, often inhibit women reaching the boardroom.

'A Woman’s Place is in the Boardroom' was celebrated at a party on 4 October at the Reform Club, where Peninah and Jacey were joined by their Praesta colleagues and over 150 guests, including FTSE 100 Chairmen and mentees from the Cross-Company Mentoring Programme. Sir John Parker, chairman of National Grid Transco, gave an incisive call for leaders of companies to recognise the talent of women in their organisations. He was joined by Meg Munn MP, Deputy Minister for Women, who spoke about her experience in the male-dominated world of politics.

The book has spawned high profile articles in The Financial Times, The Times and The Guardian. Peninah was also asked to co-anchor a www.ft.com live web-chat with Stine Bosse, CEO of Danish insurance group TrygVesta, who is included in the FT’s list of the Top 25 Women in European Business.

For further information

Peninah is a co-founder of Women Directors on Boards - a consortium of women drawn from business, academia and government addressing the shortage of women directors in the UK - and co-manages the FTSE100 Cross-Company Mentoring Programme, where FTSE100 Chairmen and CEOs act as mentors to women just below the main Board in other FTSE companies.