International Women's Day 2021: Advice from CEOs

To celebrate International Women's Day this year we've spoken to a handful of CEOs and founders from our Escape 100 organisations to highlight their experiences, inspiration, and career advice.

Have you ever had to deal with gender discrimination at work? If yes, what did you find to be an effective means of tackling it?

"Mostly I've worked for myself -- running my own business -- so I've not faced it in the workplace personally except for back in the late '90s (I'm that old) when I was cutting my teeth in the recruitment industry. I came up against it all the time there. In my current role as Founder/CEO, I don't see discrimination, but I do see the disparity, particularly when working with stakeholders - investors, higher-level corporate leaders and utility companies - still largely made up of white, middle-class men. So I've pro-actively sought out female philanthropists, investors and product owners to balance that out!" - Natalie Fée, Founder & CEO of City to Sea

"Yes, I have. I was the only female in an all-male sales team. It was very difficult, especially because I was performing well, part-time, and also doing my business alongside it. I had tried talking it through with others, and even changing where I sat, but it didn't really work for me and sadly that meant I was disengaged from the group. What I ended up doing is focusing more on my work until I left. My advice if you are going through that is to speak to your manager and those around you to see what can be done." - Kike Oniwinde, Founder & CEO of BYP Network

What are some of the things you’ve noticed that women have had to deal with at work that men don’t?

"Too many biases still exist in the funding world, with money often flowing within existing networks – introductions are made to people who know people, and humans feel safer taking bets on something familiar. This can work against women because most funding sources (particularly VCs) are still led by men. Given this framework of overt sexism – and having helped women founders pitch for investment – I’d say women have more chance of success when they sell their confidence and believe in their product or service with supreme conviction.

If you meet a stereotypical male VC who says he doesn’t think a business idea is great, don’t be afraid to tell him why he’s wrong – particularly if it wasn’t designed for him! If that confidence is taken the wrong way, that’s not the type of investor or partner you’d want anyway. Whatever your gender, fortune favours the brave." - Thang Vo-Ta, CEO & Co-Founder of Callaly

Is there a way that being a woman has helped you in your career?

"I think feminine principles (that can be embodied whatever your gender) lend themselves to environmentalism and getting ourselves out of the social and ecological crisis we face. Caring, sharing, vulnerability and receptivity are all qualities that foster interconnectedness and a sense of the collective, as opposed to the individual." - Natalie Fée, Founder & CEO of City to Sea

"It's hard to say that as a woman that's what's helped me in my career. But I think people love to see other women doing well and are inspired by them as the stats are against us in terms of getting into leadership positions and funding." - Kike Oniwinde, Founder & CEO of BYP Network

How do you think men can be better allies to women in the workplace?

"The main thing men can do is call out discrimination when they see it. Men are often witness to these kinds of incidents, but because they are by-standers and not directly affected, it can be all too easy not to get involved. It is exhausting enough battling sexism in the first place, it shouldn't be a woman's job to call it out too. 

And if a man doesn't feel able to call out the discrimination, perhaps because of other power dynamics at play, they should tell the affected woman what they have seen and affirm their experience. That kind of support can be invaluable. " - Alice Lacey, CEO & Co-founder of Now Press Play

"On a practical level, back when we were together in the office, we had a stash of hot water bottles and chocolate for team members who've got their period and need some soothing. And free period products (plastic-free, obvs) in the loos. In meetings, everyone can do their bit in making sure everyone is heard, and people aren't talked over. And at management and board level, or even at external events, men can pro-actively speak out if they see an under-representation of women in the room or on the stage. This is something we can all do around ensuring diverse voices are included and centred." - Natalie Fée, Founder & CEO of City to Sea

"I think we have to let men know when they're not being good allies so that they can learn from it and understand the implications of how something made you feel or impacts you. For example when I was working in sales and there was a real 'bro culture', I would take someone aside and let them know when something wasn't right. Once they're aware of why something isn't appropriate it makes a huge difference and they're more likely to call out other people in the future." - Kike Oniwinde, Founder & CEO of BYP Network

Do you have any pieces of advice for other women looking to take a similar career path?

"Trust yourself and your own instincts. When you start a company, you get a lot of advice. This can be incredibly helpful, especially at the beginning. But remember that those offering you ideas have spent five minutes thinking about your idea, whereas you are spending every waking hour. You will always be the expert on your company. 

After a certain point, what becomes more important than advice is having space to think. Find a mentor who asks you the right questions, rather than telling you what you should be doing." - Alice Lacey, CEO & Co-founder of Now Press Play

"Start where you are. Do your research, find out the problem that you're trying to solve, find out if other people have that same problem. Crowdsource ideas, and start with the one that you can do where you are right now." - Kike Oniwinde, Founder & CEO of BYP Network

"I could never emphasise enough how important it is to network. There’s so much support readily available, but you do have to put yourself out there by going to industry events and conferences, spending time in coworking spaces, and attending social events (hopefully back in person soon!). For women founders, I’d highly recommend joining the Femstreet community, which includes a really helpful Slack channel covering many topics relevant to all. I’m a member and have found the insights, leads, advice (and spirit) invaluable." - Thang Vo-Ta, CEO & Co-Founder of Callaly

What do you believe to be some of the benefits of a diverse team?

"If your team members come from different backgrounds, you'll all have a slightly different take on the world and approach challenges from different perspectives. A diverse team reduces the chance of blind spots. I can point to times where we've made mistakes as a company that were a direct result of us not having a diverse enough team. It's an area where we still have lots more work to do, and of high priority for us." - Alice Lacey, CEO & Co-founder of Now Press Play

"In a business like ours, which is looking to engage the masses in sustainable living and everyday climate action, understanding what drives and motivates a diverse range of people is key - and so reflecting that within our team is critical." - Hermione Taylor, CEO of Do Nation.

"There are so many benefits! It helps to remove 'groupthink' and provides diverse perspectives and ideas from different backgrounds that you don't know about. A great example from one of our clients is that once they hired more black women they understood more about black hair care industry and could add it to their products lines. So it can help to make your business more profitable too.

From a social standpoint, it's great to learn about other people's backgrounds as it makes you more empathetic. During the Black Lives Matter movement last year, those who were already around black peers knew a bit about it, whereas some people really had to learn from zero. That's why some companies put out terrible marketing during this time, because of their lack of diversity they didn't really understand what it meant, and we all noticed. Having a diverse team saves you from the mistakes you didn't know would cost you a lot." - Kike Oniwinde, Founder & CEO of BYP Network

What is the best career advice you’ve ever received?

"The only correct decision is a decision you made. You can never know whether those you didn’t make would have been right”. I can be notoriously indecisive so that one has helped me a lot…!" - Hermione Taylor, CEO of Do Nation.

"Stop apologising." - Natalie Fée, Founder & CEO of City to Sea

"Stick at it! You'll be able to learn more the longer you stay somewhere which will help you later down the line. Resilience matters in entrepreneurship, the ones who don't quit and keep going no matter how hard it is are the ones who succeed. It's the same in your career, no matter how hard it is it's just a season." - Kike Oniwinde, Founder & CEO of BYP Network

"Spend as much time speaking with founders who have failed as you spend listening to success stories. Chances are you’ll learn more from the mistakes others have made than you will from those who look back with nostalgia and rose-tinted memories, knowing that everything worked out well in the end." - Thang Vo-Ta, CEO & Co-Founder of Callaly

What and who inspires you with awe?

"Nature. She's got an answer to everything." - Natalie Fée, Founder & CEO of City to Sea

"My mum inspires me so much. She's so liberal, so open, and so intelligent. She raised 3 kids on her own, in another country, while in a full-time management position. She's done her LLB, LPC, LLM all in the last decade and she's 60, but still so full of life and energy always looking to take on new projects! You don't always realise how well a parent has done until you look back, especially now I understand more about the workplace. I've realised how lucky I am to have such a great relationship with her and to be her daughter." - Kike Oniwinde, Founder & CEO of BYP Network

Which female leaders are your role models?

"Carla Harris is the vice-chairman of Morgan Stanley Wealth, the American investment bank, and has been a trail-blazer in too many ways to list. I had the privilege of seeing her speak as she was a fellow alum from an internship programme I took part in to change the complexion of Wall Street, called Sponsors for Educational Opportunity. Despite this being more than two decades ago, her words of wisdom still resonate with me today. It’s hard to do justice to the way she’s overcome incredible biases to become an inspiring leader in the spirit of ‘lift as you climb’, but I recommend everyone find out more about her.

Lisa Su, the CEO of AMD, is another inspiring leader. She’s a fellow MIT graduate so I’ve been tracking her accomplishments for years. The way she’s spearheaded the company’s fortunes has been nothing short of inspiring, particularly the way she’s taken a long-term view on building company value. She epitomises grit and hard work." - Thang Vo-Ta, CEO & Co-Founder of Callaly