"I first met Fiona in London in 2012 when WOB Chair, Ruth Medd, was visiting from Australia and Fiona, Rowena and Rachel were in the throes of establishing Women on Boards in the UK on the back of the success of Ruth and Claire's WOB venture in Australia.
“I was immediately struck by the WOB model which was palpably 'all inclusive', not an exclusive 'club' limited to people from particular sectors or roles.
“WOB UK, as in Australia, had the vision not just to create value for women already on boards, but for those who had aspirations for boards in the future and were keen to engage regularly in meaningful events and conversations that might assist them in that and/or enable continued professional development in their management and leadership careers.
“WOB UK quickly and unsurprisingly gained traction via all its endeavours, and as a member of both WOB UK and WOB Australia since then, I worked closely with the UK team and Claire and Ruth whenever they travelled to London at a number of DEI events we hosted at my then firm in the City of London, and they always had impact.
“Of course there remains continuing work for Women on Boards to do (and more importantly I should say boards and firms to do!) to establish optimal gender balance on boards, and in organisational leadership ranks. But I am optimistic we will get there, and continue to establish visible pathways, laud success stories, and create the right means to inspire the requisite confidence, courage and conversations for women to continue to positively impact our governance arenas - as they should.
To all at WOB UK I say on your 10th anniversary, huge congratulations. You are making a difference, adding needed value, and wow - 44,000 members, countless corporate members, and many many people assisted to land their first or subsequent board roles, or start to prepare for those in the future. 44,000 is a very big number, such a journey for you all from our first encounter in 2012, and speaks volumes about your tireless efforts.
“I am personally thankful for your early support in the start-up years, ahead of my transition back home to Australia in 2014. Great work WOB UK - simply awesome."
Sheena’s Tips: What it takes to be a good leader
ABOUT SHEENA
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Principal, Sheena Wilson Consulting
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NED & Deputy Chair, Herron Todd White (Australia)
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Director & Co-Founder Director, Parents on Leave
Sheena is a highly accomplished business leader, talent executive and accredited career coach, with multi-disciplinary experience on a global scale. She is also a professional Non-Executive Director and Foundation Trustee, and Director and Co-Founder of Parents on Leave Pty Ltd. She is a Mentor and Leadership Consultant for Women on Boards Australia; and coaches Board members and executives from multiple sectors in Australia and internationally.
Sheena’s international business career included many years working overseas for The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon), including several years as CEO of BNY Mellon (India), and 5 years as Global Head of Talent Strategy. She is an international award-winning expert in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; and has worked on the ‘people aspects’ of many M&A deals globally.
Sheena has lived and worked extensively in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, India, the UK and Europe in a range of sectors: Banking & Finance; Management Consulting; BPO; Engineering; NGOs; Social Enterprises; and Higher Education among others.