Ensuring women hold leadership positions—in business, politics, and the community—is so important to a thriving society that the United Nations (UN) has made it a focus under its goal of achieving gender parity and empowering all women and girls.
“Women’s equal representation in leadership matters—not only for achieving gender equality, but for making sound decisions in politics, the workplace, and every area of public life,” noted the United Nations when outlining this goal as part of its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted eight years ago by all UN member states.
The UN report also points out that women hold just 28 percent of managerial positions. McKinsey & Company, a management and consulting firm, drives home the disparity in its Women in the Workplace 2022 report, pointing out that only 87 women (and 82 women of color) are promoted from entry-level to managerial positions for every 100 men.
The UN emphasizes that a lack of female leadership often means gaps in planning and decision-making. Because of the gender headwinds female business leaders themselves may have faced, they tend to be highly attuned to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Even with historic challenges in gender parity, remarkable female leaders have burst into leadership positions in every business sector in the United States and continue to fill a pipeline of talent. In Diversity Woman’s third annual Power 100, we found 100 emerging, rising leaders in technology, transportation, finance, retail, and medicine who not only have visionary ideas for their organizations but also want to make them more multiracial, gender diverse, and equitable.
These 100 are just a small sampling of the multitudes of women on the rise who are making their mark in their companies and also in Corporate America. With their talent, innovation, leadership, and perspective, they are changing minds by challenging preconceived notions of how a company can be both equitable and highly profitable.
Shireen Braun
Head of Client Services, Insurance Quantified
Braun delivers innovative client onboarding, professional services, and client success programs to clients. She and her team enable clients to adapt to new market conditions while driving insights for underwriter decisionmaking. Braun is passionate about customer success and leveraging technology and talent programs to drive original service solutions. Prior to Insurance Quantified, Braun held various leadership positions at Bloomberg LP for 14 years, and most recently was managing director, Global Client Success at IHS Markit.
“Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is an ongoing effort that requires commitment, dedication, and a willingness to adapt. By taking a holistic approach centered around the women themselves, we can successfully develop and maintain female diversity, leading to a more inclusive and innovative work environment. We do the usual things—ensuring our recruiting, development, [and] policies are equitable and attractive to all—and we do it with a lot of heart. The real difference is in how we operate day-to-day—how we support the mom that needs to walk out to pick up a sick kid, how we deliver feedback, and the collaborative work culture we’ve built to foster an environment where everyone is empowered to have a voice.”
