Two Mentors, Two Stories, One Glass Ceiling

The latest Female FTSE Board Report from Cranfield University landed on my desk this week, and as a woman in financial media, the findings hit close to home.

While the headlines tout success – with women making up 42% of FTSE 250 board positions – the underlying story reveals a more complex reality that resonates with my own career journey.

Ten years into my career in financial publishing, I've been fortunate. My path to Managing Editor has been shaped by male mentors who saw potential where others might have seen risk.

I remember my first editor taking a chance on me when I said I wanted to launch a women in economics podcast - he gave me the time and space to go and do just that. That same editor also taught me that age and experience should never hold you back - he shipped me off to Singapore to launch and host my own Fintech & Regtech award series at 24 years old.

Never once did he make me believe he didn't have confidence I would do a good job. And the morning of the awards presentation, he messaged to say good luck, and some handy tips around only printing my speech halfway down the page so I didn't have to look down too much (a tip I still use today!)

But for every story like mine, the data tells us there are many more women facing a different reality. The report reveals a troubling trend: the number of female executives in the FTSE 250 has actually declined by 11% since 2022. Only 42 women hold executive positions across these companies – just 12% of all executive roles.

This "executive gender paradox," as Professor Susan Vinnicombe calls it, feels painfully familiar. Over the years, in newsroom meetings, at events, at breakfast briefings and lock-ins, I have often find myself the only woman at the table. Yes, I made it here, but where are the others?

And the pipeline problem isn't about talent – it is about opportunity and support at crucial career junctures.

The CFO statistics particularly caught my eye. With 28 CFO positions opening up in the FTSE 250 last year, only three women were appointed. As someone who regularly interviews C-suite executives, I've observed firsthand how the narrative around women in finance continues to be shaped by outdated assumptions about commitment and capability.

My own experience of male advocacy in the workplace shows what's possible when leadership actively champions talent regardless of gender. But equally transformative was working under a female leader who redefined what success could look like. She taught me that excellence doesn't mean conforming to traditional workplace norms. Watching her arrive at 7 AM, deliver exceptional results, and leave at 4:30 for childcare pickup was a masterclass in setting boundaries and demanding respect for them.

Yes, there were the whispered comments about "leaving early," but she met them with unwavering professionalism and a simple truth: judge me by my output, not my hours. She created spaces for crucial conversations, particularly around International Women's Day, where we could openly discuss these challenges.

Today, I'm proud to lead an almost entirely female editorial team, carrying forward that legacy of supporting and empowering women in finance media. We've created an environment where success and work-life integration aren't mutually exclusive. But this shouldn't be remarkable – it should be routine.

Meeting board diversity targets is important, but it's not enough. We need systematic change that addresses what Dr. Michelle Tessaro calls the "leaky pipeline" – that critical mid-career point where women often fall away from their planned trajectories.

Real change means creating environments where women can thrive in executive roles, not just survive. It means challenging assumptions about working mothers. It means recognising that diversity isn't a "nice-to-have" but, as EY's Anna Anthony puts it, a "must-have" for business performance.

As we mark 25 years of the Female FTSE Board Report, I'm grateful for how far we've come. But I'm also impatient for what needs to change. The glass ceiling may have cracks, but it's still very much intact. It's time to bring a sledgehammer to those remaining barriers.