Women Leading in Business

What is the future role of women in business? And how do we achieve more women as leaders?

 While the amount of female CEO’s and top-level executives are rising, there is still a long way to go. There is growing evidence that in today’s marketplace the female management style is not only distinctly different but also essential. Movements and organisations are creating a feeling of empowerment and a real contribution for women. Women are and will continue to be a vital contributor of creative input, leadership, and revenue for the world of business.

Globally 22% of women occupy senior management positions – and yet they are 50% of the workforce… 

 

 

Three women share with us! 

What is the higher purpose of your business?

Shu Shu from China, Lisa from America and Lina from Ukraine have their own business and their purpose differs from each other

 

 

Shu Shu Wong

To be at the forefront of the revolution in global education

As Thomas Friedman famously remarked, the world is now flat – we live in a world that is now fully connected, where geographical boundaries are no longer a hindrance to the exchange of ideas. In particular, Friedman was talking about the world of business and finance, and the role that globalisation had in levelling the playing field. But an even more important equalisation is on the verge of taking place – the Internet makes it possible for everyone to have access to education of the highest calibre. The purpose of my businesses, that of GlobalME Tutoring and the Oxford Spires Summer School, is to be at the forefront of the revolution in global education and to guide and inspire the younger generation to achieve their potential.

Over the years, we have continued to grow our group of tutors who have all excelled academically, and who share a common desire to help students to identify and develop their academic passions. Together, we provide students of different backgrounds across the world with a head start on both an academic and personal level.

I was exposed to the business world and was encouraged to learn more about the world around me at an early age.

It’s difficult to pinpoint a single reason why I want to build my business, but I believe it has a lot to do with my family and upbringing. Growing up in Hong Kong with a father who runs an investment consultancy, I was exposed to the business world and was encouraged to learn more about the world around me at an early age. During high school, I had the opportunity to travel to rural parts of China on multiple occasions to teach English to and mentor impoverished children. At the encouragement of my mother, I also taught English to local students in Hong Kong for more than a decade, during which I started to conduct my lessons online when I moved to London.

Very early on, I recognised the importance of the accessibility of education and having mentors/role models to guide you to achieve your goals and make your dreams become reality.

 

Who is Shu Shu Wong?

Shu Shu was born in Hong Kong and moved to London when she was seventeen to commence her undergraduate studies in International Relations at the London School of Economics. She went on to complete an LL.M in International Law at University College London and is now working as a trainee solicitor at an international law firm in London. She is the co-founder of GlobalME Tutoring Inc., an online tutoring platform set up with the primary objective of connecting students with tutors from some of the most prestigious universities in the world. She is also the Dean of Faculty of the Oxford Spires, a specialised summer school for students aged fifteen and above with an exclusive focus on Economics, Business, Law and International Affairs.

 

Lisa Pattenden – Life Coach

I’m a helper!

The higher purpose of my business is to serve business owners in a way that brings them into a collaboration economy and takes them out of the competition economy. Together we serve our customers better when collaborating rather than playing a game of who is better than who. This also enables the younger generation to learn in a more positive way.

The core reason I want to build my business is to allow for the sharing of something that comes so easy for me. I had no idea that these things were difficult for others. It’s only natural that I’m a helper and so this allows me to help others with ease. I really enjoy supporting people who need help with social media. I see it as a core part of a business strategy and so many businesses are missing the mark by not engaging. I help business owners to navigate in an engaging and easy way.

Who is Lisa Pattenden?

Born in Washington D.C. with an eye for travel, Lisa spent twenty one years in the Air Force to see the world. She has lived in London for seven years now with her seventeen year old son and loves it. They have travelled the world to see the Northern Lights together and even crossed the Arctic Circle together! She is a certified Life Coach and has worked with breast cancer and trauma survivors. Working with them has been her lifelong joy. Her love of connection brought her to social media in its early stages. She found over time that she was really good at explaining to business owners how to use social media in an easy and engaging way. This went on to allow people to create their own interesting content and to execute it in their own effective way, which in turn amplifies their company & creates a loyal following.

 

Lina Buordon – Founder and MD of a Financial Services company

My higher purpose? I really don’t have the answer!

The higher purpose of our lives and our businesses is a subject everyone discusses these days. And when asked the question about my higher purpose I really don’t have the answer. I went into a business not because I had a purpose or a calling, I did it because I had no choice. When I came to the UK at the age of thirty I discovered very quickly that finding a good job would be a huge challenge. I was told the reason for that was that I had two Masters degrees and I was seen to be over qualified.

 

Instead of being disappointed I decided to create a job for myself. That is how I got into the Financial Services industry which led me to setting up my own business and growing it from a spare bedroom at home to a central London practice.

The purpose of any business is to find and retain a customer…

The purpose of any business is to find and retain a customer. That’s it. How businesses do it is a completely different story.  My team and I are in business for a variety of reasons. We do what we do because our business helps us look after our families and provide them with all they need. We do it because people need to buy houses, invest for their children, plan for their retirement, protect their families and the lifestyle they have from unexpected and unplanned events. We do what we do because we enjoy being part of our clients’ journey through life – from birth to old age and, at times, well after life is over. We believe that we help our clients to make their dreams come true, help them plan for the future, take worries out of their lives so they can concentrate on what is important to them. We like our business because every day is different and every client is unique.

We are in business because by doing what we do so many lives are touched and so many people are, directly or indirectly, kept in jobs as a result of what we do. Think about it: we help a client get a mortgage and buy a new home. As a result builders, surveyors, solicitors, an innermost number of manufacturers, designers, gardeners, bankers, insurers, local shops owners, local cafe and a restaurant, local school and a local GP (you name it!) have a job because they need to serve that client. Would this qualify for a higher purpose? I don’t know.

What I do know is that by setting up my own business and taking other people on board I took responsibility for their lives and the future of their families. So my purpose is to care about my team and help them with the jobs they do daily. If I do it well then they deliver great service to our clients and help them on their way. And as a result the higher purpose takes care of itself. 

Who is Lina?

Lina is the Founder and MD of City & Country Financial Services Ltd, a practice of Independent Financial Advisers based in central London. She has run financial seminars and workshops for a number of years and she was also a part of a project organised by the Financial Services Authority ‘Money Made Clear’.