Forget flexibility. What working women really want is power.
An interesting statement by The Guardian’s Harriet Minter but in 2025, it remains just as relevant. The question is, are female leaders today more aware of their strengths and the mindsets that still hold them back?
Gaining a leadership position in the financial industry is still tough though progress, while visible, remains slow.
According to the UK’s latest Women in Finance Charter Review (2025), women now hold around 36% of senior management roles, up slightly from 35% in 2024. However, the number of women in mid-level roles has barely shifted, remaining just under 40%. Meanwhile, research from Credit Connect (2025) shows women account for only 19% of senior leadership roles across UK financial services, and less than 10% of CEO positions.
Studies continue to show that most women in financial and consultancy industries believe confidence is key to leadership, yet it’s also one of the biggest challenges women say they face throughout their careers.
The Financial Times (2025) recently reported that “women are still missing out on management in the world of finance,” highlighting the persistent gender gap across middle and senior roles.
As Harriet Minter once wrote:
“The biggest drop-out of women from the workforce comes at the mid-career point. Until then, women and men make up a fairly even split in most companies, then suddenly men start to dominate. This tends to be the moment that people start having children.”
— Minter, H. (2015)
Despite the continued correlation, what most women want hasn’t changed: to return to work with the same level of power, influence, and progression they had before, and to feel that the promise of promotion remains within reach.
Five Ways Women on the Financial Frontline Can Enhance Confidence and Presence
- Discover Your Authentic Leadership Style
There is no one personality type suited to leadership. The most effective leaders are true to themselves. By exploring your values, story, and identity, whether as a mother, partner, entrepreneur, or seasoned professional, you can craft a leadership style rooted in authenticity, not imitation. - Own Your Emotional Intelligence and Clarify the Impact You Want to Have
At Maynard Leigh, we help clients develop professional presence through psychologically informed, theatre-based techniques. Emotional intelligence, empathy, awareness, and integrity, has become a core business advantage in today’s collaborative, hybrid world. Clarity about your desired impact allows your authentic leadership to flow naturally. - Be Alert to What’s Going On Around You
Leadership doesn’t happen in isolation. Understand the ecosystem, from stakeholders and teams to industry shifts in AI, sustainability, and digital finance, so you can influence effectively and confidently at every level. - Impress and Establish Credibility
Credibility doesn’t come from being the loudest voice, but from communicating with conviction, consistency, and truth. When you lead from authenticity, people hear it. Your voice becomes your power. - Use Your Whole Self and Your Power
While history still offers fewer visible female role models, today’s leaders are reshaping that narrative. As more women embrace their authentic leadership and power, they’re paving the way for future generations to see feminine leadership not as imitation but as innovation.
Want to improve your leadership skills?
In our one day event Boardroom Presence, delivered to professionals from multinational organisations since 1989, we help leaders, especially women, tap into their authentic leadership style through psychologically insightful and effective theatre-based techniques.
To find out more, email info@maynardleigh.co.uk.
Upcoming Events for Women in Finance & Leadership 2025
Whether you’re looking for a new role, stepping into leadership, or returning after a career pause, here are some 2025 events and communities to help you reconnect, learn, and lead:
1. Women’s Forum 2026 – “Breaking Barriers, Shaping the Future”
Multi-day leadership and empowerment conference for women across sectors — 23–24 March 2026, London
2. Maynard Leigh Associates “Women in Leadership: Boardroom Presence”
Do you lean in or sit back? Are you fully present and able to influence the tone in the room? This immersive one-day event for women in senior positions explores authentic presence, assertiveness, body language, voice, and imposter syndrome through theatre-based techniques. Insightful coaches guide participants through personal and practical experiences leaving them ready to create impact and influence confidently at the boardroom table.
3. 100 Women in Finance – London Gala 2026
Annual fundraising gala celebrating women leaders and industry pioneers in finance, featuring networking and recognition awards — 4 March 2026, V&A South Kensington, London
4. PIMFA Women’s Symposium 2026
Flagship UK industry event with multiple content streams on leadership, career development, and finance sector challenges — 19–20 May 2026, London
5. PIMFA Women in Wealth Forum 2026
Peer-to-peer networking and learning forum for women in the wealth and asset management space — 12–13 May 2026, London
6. 30% Club and City Women Network Joint Forum
A powerful platform for senior female executives to debate current boardroom challenges, succession barriers, and sponsorship for women at the top.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Abi Eniola, Executive Coach, Maynard Leigh Associates
Abi has been coaching executives for ten years and designing and leading development programmes throughout the UK and Europe for nineteen years. Her work with all managerial levels, heads of departments, directors and partners, across a range of sectors, enables her to bring sector insights and best practice to her coaching clients. She holds an MA Coaching and Mentoring Practice, Post Graduate Diploma Coaching Practice (Oxford Brookes), ICF Certificate in Professional Coaching Practice, CIPD Advanced Facilitation, BSc. (Hons.) Sociology, HND Business Studies.
Deborah Appleby, Executive Coach, Maynard Leigh Associates
Since 1989 Deborah has been working as a Performance Coach in Personal Development from Graduate to Board Level in the Corporate, and Public Sector. She has a proven track record in speaking, facilitating, training and coaching and works regularly at a senior level. She has worked with MLA since 2003 and with major training and development companies before that. She holds a Diploma in Coaching, is a member of the ICF and has been coaching for over 20 years within the corporate environment. She is also a qualified facilitator of EBW (Emotions & Behaviours at Work) psychometric assessments, based on Emotional Intelligence.
