NOON

The release of the FTSE Women Leaders Report this morning – with stats on female CEOs, CFOs and rest of the executive pipeline – prompts that classic question: Do you want the good news or the bad news? https://lnkd.in/dsa5G-D Because there was good news. The proportion of board positions held by women at FTSE 350 companies rose to a new all-time high of 43.4% last year, up from 42.1% in 2023. This means the UK ranks in second place internationally for women in the boardroom, behind France in G7 countries. We know at NOON that many midlife women are eager put their knowledge and experience to work: Research shows that 70% of midlife women want to step UP their careers, channelling their energy and ambition into new projects. It’s great to see the momentum with strong female voices at the top of companies and it’s something we see from our Queenager community. The bad news: * The number of women in top positions in the FTSE 350 fell to 19 female chief executives, from 20 in 2023 * The number of female?FTSE 100 chief executives dipped for a time to fewer than 10 And we know that most female board members are in non-executive roles - meaning they've either opted-out or been pushed out of their employed roles and 'gone plural' (sitting on multiple boards at different companies). This depletes the corporate leadership talent pool and is part of the reason we can't seem to get much beyond 10 female FTSE 100 CEOs. Journalist and author Mary Ann Seighart pointed out that the authority gap remains a big reason for this shortfall – women are perceived as less authoritative as men or their authority is cast in a more negative light. (Eg: Men have opinions, women are 'opinionated'.) What heartening about this report – and what was evident in the online launch of the FTSE Women Leaders Report – is the resolve among leading voices and companies (including private companies) to keep pushing and the recognition of the value that senior women bring to companies...not just in feelgood ways but commercially valuable ways. Do check out the report and let us know what you think. Helena Morrissey Lalita Taylor FRSA Avivah Wittenberg-Cox Lisa Unwin Yasmin Alibhai-Brown Tina Backhouse Eleanor Mills Jennifer Howze Vivienne Artz OBE FCSI (Hon) CMgr CCMI AIGP #genderedageism #genderbalance #FTSEWomenLeaders #FTSE #genderpaygap #midlifecareers #Queenagers

Do you wish you could sleep better? Most of us do, but we go about it the wrong way. A lot of things can disrupt sleep in midlife and it's more important than ever to get enough for our health, our mental abilities and our happiness. However, we often focus on creating the perfect bedtime routine (cup of tea just *there*, bedsocks on, hands moisturised) when trying to get better sleep – this ignores the BIGGEST factor that affects our sleep. That is: How we spend our waking hours. On Wednesday, the 12th of March at 6:30 PM, we're holding a How to Sleep Better webinar with Heather Darwall-Smith, an integrative psychotherapist who'll be sharing lessons from her new book, called How To Be Awake (so you can sleep through the night). There will be tips, strategies and new ways of thinking about rest that will revolutionise your bedtime. It's FREE for NOON Paid Members and only ￡15 for general admission tickets. Visit www.NOON.org.uk/events, book your space and join us next Wednesday, March 12 at 6:30pm. You'll be resting and sleeping easier. #sleep #midlifehealth Heather Darwall-Smith Jennifer Howze Eleanor Mills

NOON just keeps growing and growing, thanks to the scores of amazing women who are getting involved with our organisation. We're delighted to welcome Fiona Hiscocks to our Circle Hosting team, with our Chilterns Circle. Welcome, Fiona and welcome all midlife ladies of The Chilterns! Please do get in touch, visit noon.org.uk to find out more about our Circles and sign up so you can meet up locally with other likeminded midlife women. ??

As we move into the age of strongman government and oligarchs, how do we get women's voices heard? As DEI programmes are rolled back and some regular folks say we need our own 'Donald Trump' to sort out immigration, we need to remember the importance of the struggle to be heard. "This full-on assault against attempts to level the playing field is so baffling and disheartening. It also goes against the facts on the ground [about the benefits to companies and the culture]," Eleanor Mills writes in this week's Queenager newsletter. Read it on the NOON site or subscribe the Queenager newsletter to get it delivered to your in-box. https://lnkd.in/enY4rHUg

We're delighted that our founder Eleanor Mills will be chatting with Carl Honoré at 12:30 about the best tips for making the second half of life as good or better than the first. It will be a brilliant midweek lift featuring positive insights from this TED talk veteran and the UK's leading voice for midlife women! #midlife #slowliving #positivevibes

As part of our ‘What's Next?’ agenda, we are doing a survey of what it's like to be a Queenager entrepreneur – whether you are one currently, have been or want to be. We'll be putting out a report about the findings, to highlight the state of midlife female entrepreneurship. If you are a woman in midlife who is running, wants to run or has run a business, please fill out our short survey – it will only take a few minutes of your time. As a thank you, you'll be entered into a prize draw for John Lewis vouchers. ?? Currently?less than 2% of VC funding goes to women entrepreneurs?of ALL ages globally. Yet?businesses started by older Founders are TWICE as likely to be successful?according to US research. We want to get more money to female-owned businesses and support these women on the next phase of their work lives. Please feel free to forward it to any other women you know who would be interested in sharing their experiences. The more we know about midlife entrepreneurs, the more effective we can be at supporting you and encouraging adequate funding. Take the survey now! ? https://lnkd.in/ezv2UmRB Eleanor Mills Jennifer Howze Jocelyn Cripps Karen Stenning #entrepreneurs #femaleentrepreneurs #midlifewomen #midlifecareers #Queenagers

Today we had our monthly event with members, this time talking about the film Babygirl and how older women are portrayed onscreen. Great to hear from members with such informed and thoughtful responses, with references to Esther Perel’s work, 9 and 1/2 Weeks, The Mother with Daniel Craig, Laura Dern’s Lonely Planet, expectations of young women vs older women and what we’d like to see more of onscreen. One of the best things about NOON is how it gathers together so many amazing women (if we do say so ourselves) — and that we can take time online midweek to have this kind of intelligent discussion. Thirsty for great convo? Join NOON and become part of our community. #queenagers #midlifewomen Eleanor Mills Jennifer Howze Jocelyn Cripps Karen Stenning

In divorce, it pays to get good advice. For the glitterati, that means Sandra Davis, the UK's top divorce lawyer according to the Legal 500 guide, and solicitor at Mishcon de Reya. Her list of former clients includes Princess Diana,?Jerry Hall, Tamara Mellon OBE (the co-founder of Jimmy Choo) and footballer Thierry Henry. And now – with our new divorce series at NOON – YOU can hear Sandra herself and her best advice on how to divorce well in midlife. This is a crazy-good opportunity to tap into one of the best legal minds when it comes to divorce. We're kicking off with a online session where Sandra will share her top tips for midlife women. It's only ￡15 – or FREE for NOON Paid Members (yes, you read that right). How to divorce in midlife with top divorce lawyer Sandra Davis Tuesday 14 January 2025 6.30pm via Zoom Sandra's passionate about everyone having the best divorce possible. If you're contemplating divorce, beginning the process or in the midst of a split, don't miss out on this unique opportunity! https://lnkd.in/e6cufbMd Avivah Wittenberg-Cox Christine Armstrong Lisa Unwin Sam Cooper-Gray Fiona Lambert Eleanor Mills Jennifer Howze Karen Stenning Jocelyn Cripps

Thoughtful post from Simon Long about how much older workers add to companies, especially this line: “?? This isn't about diversity targets - it's about competitive advantage.” So true. The smart companies, managers & employers recognise this. (We showcase many of them on our Jobs board, powered by 55/Redefined — *these* companies not only know the value of older workers. They actively seek to recruit this talent, knowledge, soft skills and adaptability. #queenagers #talentretention #recruitment #talent #midlifecareers

One of the most satisfying things about our work at NOON is being able to bring together like-minded midlife women to meet one another and support each other through midlife's pinchpoints – as well as just have *FUN*. Thanks to Lisa Nunn as well as to our own Karen Stenning for organising – and for kicking off NOON Circles in Brighton and Hove in 2025! ?? ?? ?? ?? ??