There has been a lot of progress when it comes to gender equality, but the truth is women still face obstacles when it comes to reaching executive positions. Join me as I chat with Dionne Aiken, the Chief Marketing Officer of a major global organisation, to talk about her journey as a successful female leader. Although in 2023 only nine women are leading FTSE 100 companies, Dionne has managed to break through the glass ceiling and reach the top of her industry.

In this episode, Dionne shares interesting insights on leadership, juggling family and professional life, and what it takes to successfully navigate a leading global organisation. Dionne also discusses the importance of female empowerment, how a family-first leadership style promotes inclusivity, and how you can improve your leadership skills. So, if you’d like to learn from an award-winning and inspiring female leader, don't miss this episode!

Quotes

“I guess in terms of my journey I wanted to empower other women… I just wanted to ensure that I’d walked the walk before I could help others.” – 02:38

“Life balance, I think, right now, is about work-life integration.” – 12:13

‘’I work really hard to ensure that my team feels safe being parents and that they are able to say, ‘my child is sick’ and know that they’ll be met with, ‘that’s okay’. I think it’s very important to be inclusive and create an environment where people feel safe.’’ -15:25

‘’If we look at the FTSE 500, there are 47 female CEOs - 2 of whom are black – and so as a percentage that’s 9.4% women, and 0.04 black female CEOs. And if we move to the FTSE 100 there are 9 female CEOs and 0 black women. That’s a problem. But it’s so easy for us to say ‘gender parity’ and ‘let’s uplift each other’ and say men need to join us on the journey, but oftentimes there’s a conversation to be had about women supporting women.” – 20:56

Time stamps

00:00 – Introduction to Dionne 

02:35 – Dionne’s journey to becoming CMO

04:56 – How Dione’s granddad encouraged her to be a leader, not a follower
06:40 – What it’s like to be a leader today 

08:02 – Dionne’s leadership journey

10:17 – Determining what leadership models to use and when
11:28 – Finding the balance between work life and family life 
13:39 – How to be worthy of the position you earned
15:25 – Dionne on the qualities that modern leaders must possess

17:37 – The challenges of navigating a big global organisation

24:48 – Why women need to support each other in competitive fields  

25:53 – What makes a great leader 

33:35 – Advice for female leaders who want to unlock their power
37:45 – Things to do to be great
38:43 –Dionne’s biggest learning curve and wake-up call
45:29 – How to connect with Dionne

Dionne Socials
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dionne-aiken-91a4996/

Gillian Socials
https://www.instagram.com/gillian_mcmichael/
https://www.tiktok.com/@gillianmcmichael
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-mcmichael/ https://www.facebook.com/GillianMcMichaelMasterCoach
https://www.gillianmcmichael.com

Full Circle Global Socials
https://www.instagram.com/fullcircleglobal/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/full-circle-development-consultancy/ https://www.facebook.com/fullcircleglobal/
https://fullcircleglobal.com

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