Breaking Through

Part IOverview

THIS BOOK DEMONSTRATES WOMEN'S GROWING economic power: they are the majority of the world's consumers, they are the engines of entrepreneurial growth, they represent 40 to 50 percent of the world's workers—but they are not yet represented in equal numbers in the top jobs or in equal numbers among the most successful entrepreneurs. We have also seen that women have courage, they take risks, they are innovative and creative, and do a lot with a little—they are efficient and collaborative, and bring new approaches to business. And those companies where women have made it to the top have witnessed tangible growth in their bottom line.

The added value of having women in the top jobs is recognized by the five major international companies (ENGIE, BNY Mellon, Publicis Groupe, BNP Paribas, and Oracle) that this book covers. These companies have set up programs designed to help their women employees break through to the top positions. ENGIE, a French multinational electric utility company, designed a program to develop women's professional careers, train more women directors and senior managers, and retain their talents. The program has not only achieved these aims but been transformational in changing mind-sets. BNY Mellon, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, set up Women's Initiative Networking (WIN), and they have seen both a tangible increase in the number of women vice presidents, managing directors and executive committee members, ...