I’m not a fan of LinkedIn. I imagine it to be a den of sycophantic suits that I don’t really feel part of. They email me all the time, however, offering to sell me some extra special level of seeing even more of LinkedIn for a low cost subscription. I just don’t get it. You’ve seen the elephant trunk graphic, right? I’d rather buy a completely useless blue tick from Elon.
However, sometimes something does jump out. This month I was sent the usual opportunity to check out the latest congratulatory LinkedIn content and noticed someone commenting on a post with a surprising statistic. Research by the accounting firm EY has revealed that only 33% of UK financial services directors appointed in 2023 were female, down from 61% in 2022. It’s not exactly the ‘Look what this childhood celebrity looks like now’ level of clickbait, but as we have been putting together our ‘Women in Business’ feature, I clicked. It went on to say that ‘a quarter of financial services firms still have zero women who hold Chair, CEO, CFO or Senior Independent Director roles’. That’s pretty poor.
I’d like to hope that, as a progressive jurisdiction, we buck that trend within our financial services-led employment landscape. If the women featured in this edition are anything to go by, it feels like we’re leading a charge against that trend. With leading figures in finance, law, tech, beauty, retail, and even decorating, it’s an inspiring cross-section of examples of women taking leading roles.
Another avenue in which women often take the lead is in the planning of a wedding. Our annual Bridal Bible is also within these pages, featuring an A-Z of local wedding-focused content and a selection of wedding profiles to examine for inspiration ahead of planning your big day.
We’re a little late to the game of 2024 at Gallery, but with Valentine’s Day on the horizon as we go to print, we’re sending love to one and all.
BD
