How hard can it be – aren't you the CEO?
Celebrating Women's Board Award with Thomas Thune Andersen and H.K.H. Crown princess Mary, winner of this year's award Anne Louise Eberhard

How hard can it be – aren't you the CEO?

Danish women gained the right to vote in 1915 as some of the first worldwide. Denmark was only surpassed by New Zealand, Finland, Australia and Norway. In 1919, we passed the Equal Pay Act as one of the first nations in the world. And in 2011, we elected Denmark's first female prime minister, Helle Thorning Schmidt, followed by Mette Frederiksen in 2019. 

Denmark has thus historically been very progressive on gender equality. We offer paid maternity leave, affordable day care, compulsory school attendance and free universities. Across the world, Denmark is known for being a democratic country with equal opportunities for all. Indeed, Denmark currently has one of the highest percentages in the world of women on the labour market with 77 percent, and most companies offer flexible working, so both parents can balance work with picking up kids or cultivating hobbies. 

Denmark is also at the top of global rankings on matters such as social progress, social mobility and competitiveness. Many countries are looking towards Denmark for inspiration on how to become a happy society. We see ourselves as equal and tolerant people.

On the one hand, we strongly believe that we live in an equal society that has historically been at the forefront of the gender equality debate. On the other hand, we are challenged by deeply rooted stereotypes on what women and men can and should do. This slows down women's path to leadership.

The numbers speak for themselves. The percentage of female top managers in Denmark is less than 20. Half of Danish boards do not have female members. In a report from World Economic Forum, Denmark ranks 95 out of 144 countries on women in leadership positions. That is way too low. We can do so much better!

The path to inclusive leadership is challenged by unconscious bias

From my own perspective, I have five children, including three girls, and a strong wife, and we often have discussions around the dinner table about why gender perceptions and stereotypes are still deeply rooted in our society. The discussions often lead to discussions about how we face the challenge at Deloitte, and they look at me and ask: "How hard can it be – aren't you the CEO?"

Yes, I am CEO – and I am deeply concerned about the gender challenge but also committed to creating a better balance at Deloitte. However, the path to inclusive leadership is more difficult than it may sound. Personally, we are all challenged by our own unconscious bias and are often tempted to attract and maintain people who look like ourselves in our teams. I know that it is not sustainable for our business and for our teams if we don't embrace diversity and find better solutions going forward.

That is why we have programs in place to promote diversity, respect and inclusion. And we offer tools to deal with the leadership challenges that follows increasing diversity in our teams – because we must prioritize this agenda. Today, we are 25 different nationalities in Deloitte Denmark, we employ almost 50/50 of women and men at entry level, but we face major challenges within several fields. I'm optimistic, but it is moving way too slowly.

Sustainable solutions require diversity

The main purpose of a company is no longer profit alone. Our annual global Readiness Report shows that 90 percent of the world’s top leaders expect that climate change will affect their business negatively and it is their top priority to help solve. Companies are becoming purpose-driven and focus more on sustainable solutions that create value for employees, clients and communities – not just shareholders.

If we want to succeed in delivering on the SDG agenda, including uniting global climate solutions with sustainable growth and attractive jobs that focus on lifelong learning, sustainable and inclusive leadership should top the agenda – in management groups as well as in teams. We simply do not find the right solutions without diversity. This means that we need more women in senior positions and boards. I've promised that to my family at home too!

A few weeks ago, we were proud to host Women’s Board Award 2020 in Deloitte. And today, we are celebrating International Women’s Day. Let’s unite and take action to become a leading nation on gender equality again!

Great article - let's also be reminded that there are a lot of young boys out there who grow up struggling, living great values of equality and deep respect for girls, women and struggling themselves with what they wanna become in the future. Its difficult for all, that's why we need to continuously working on these challenging issues

Susanne Hoeck

Co-founder, Women's Board Award

4y

An award and one focus day a year is not enough to make progress. The severely need for diversity in top management requires a steady and dedicated investment - thanks Anders Dons and Deloitte for walking the talk every single day - and not only when your in the spotlight. #wba2020 #diversityatwork #womendeliver #dkledelse #sustainableleadership

Anne-Sophie Zerlang Karlsen

Vice President @ Maersk | Head of Operations in Asia Pacific | Executive MBA from IMD

4y

Anders Dons , thank you for sharing!! 🙏 Leaders like yourself speaking up and sharing their own concerns on the topic is where we need to start! It inspires and motivates!

Michael Johst

Forsikringstvister/ uvildig specialist - hvad har du krav på og hvordan bliver det en god, respektfuld og tryg proces ?

4y

“How hard can it be ?” 😂 Those girls are cool and they want ACTION. When you launch your program remember a few proven facts : “Women have a more active brain than men”. The SPECT imaging clearly shows that the prefrontal cortex where impulse control and the ability to focus is managed is highly developed in the female brain. Mood and anxiety is however also more active. I recall having read that women have 129 active brain areas compared to mens 31 active brain areas doing the same thing. If a woman brain was a radio transmitter it would be more sensitive to electromagnetic fields - however it would catch a lot more data ( hence womens sensitivity). Some say that men communicate with a can on their ear connected with a wire and that women communicate via Sattelite. More data capacity potentially means more noise, stress and anxiety - so it’s vital that women get assignments that match their brain - something that causes positive development. If you are 3 men and 4 women at home your brain activity of 93 is up against 516 - so pick your fights 😊

  • No alternative text description for this image
Ami Khan

Empowering Leaders to build self-managed teams & cultures through conscious leadership | Organisational Design & Psychology Expert | Solar energy

4y

Thank you for this Anders Dons. Deloitte is one of the best organisations I’ve had the pleasure of working for. Nevertheless we all still have a long way to go in terms of diversity. In gender but also cognitive diversity - to see our differences as a start point for curiosity, to explore possibilities, create and innovate. The unconscious bias is real but if we start with acknowledging this and take the time to pause and create space for different (which often feels uncomfortable) then we can take micro steps. We all have to play a part through cultivating patience and staying open. It can start small, micro steps in moving towards a shift to create value

To view or add a comment, sign in

Insights from the community

Others also viewed

Explore topics