Inspiring the next generation of women in leadership

By Jo Taylor , Executive Director of Corporate and Government Affairs at Shionogi Europe

I have a confession to make.  I have a professional girl crush on an incredibly talented woman (actually I will be honest, I actually want to BE her).

Her name is Miriam González Durántez and she runs an organisation called Inspiring Girls International . I am sure many of you will have heard her name because of the former British political figure she is married to but as far as I am concerned that isn’t relevant (though you of course can google her if you are really interested).

Inspiring Girls is an organisation dedicated to raising the aspirations of girls around the world by connecting them with female role models from all walks of life.  On their website they say that they “introduce girls (aged 11-16 years) to the full variety of careers and options in life, inspiring them to aim high.”

The charity’s central message to girls is “be ambitious, decide freely what you want to do in life and work hard to achieve your dreams” - a message that I like to give to my daughter and son alike. 

So, why is it that in 2024 we need an organisation like Inspiring Girls to challenge gender stereotypes and ensure that girls feel empowered to make their dreams a reality?

Inspiring Girls work across 36 countries with extremely varied socio-economic and political circumstances.  Clearly there are girls growing up with very different backgrounds to my daughter, and it seems a World away whilst sitting in a Shionogi meeting room in Covent Garden flanked by my PhD pharmacist Head of Internal Communications and Patient Advocacy, PhD Head of External communications and Media and qualified lawyer Head of Government Affairs – all women.  This is not to mention the numerous incredibly talented and accomplished women I work with in Shionogi generally and more broadly in the industry.

But there is so much more that we must do.

Inspiring Girls conducted a survey in 2023 in which they discovered that:

• 1 in 5 girls say stereotypes hold them back in school
• 1 in 4 have only one woman role model in their lives
• 92% of girls said hearing women talk about their jobs makes them feel like they have more options in the future.

Resoundingly women role models in the workplace couldn’t be more important when it comes to inspiring the next generation.

At Shionogi Europe we are embarking on a Women In Leadership programme that aims to support our women employees to reach leadership roles within the company.

I hope as a result that as well as seeing more women in senior roles in future we will also be paving the way to success for girls in years to come.

Happy International Women’s Day from all of us at Shionogi Europe.