We are delighted that 30 Percent Club has welcomed our Founder and CEO Alice Weightman. Having long been involved in equality initiatives, particularly around gender equality at senior levels in the PR and Communications industry, this only strengthens her commitment to improving gender diversity in the higher ranks of business.

This also follows the launch of the 30% Club GCC Chapter a regional effort of multi sector leaders working regionally towards better representation of women on boards and in senior level positions.

Launched in 2010, the 30% Club’s campaign goal is to achieve a minimum of 30% women in FTSE-100boards. Since the campaign start, the figure stands at 27%, up from 12.5%. Progress has been accelerated through the invaluable leadership of our members, chairs and CEO’s in addition to research and the critical recognition that gender balance leads to better business.

Commenting on the campaigns objectives Alice said: “This is not about a pipeline problem; we have incredibly talented women working in these companies. This is about finding ways to encourage and support those women into the top jobs. Often at the most senior level, we look around and wonder, ‘where have all the women gone?’ We lose far too much talent because businesses haven’t figured out how to support the parents, most often the mums, who work for them.”

As CEO and founder of both The Work Crowd and Hanson Search, Alice has actively been involved with many initiatives to support diversity, inclusion and equality. From sponsorship of networking events for Women in Public Affairs and Women in PR, the support of the launch of Global Women in PR Middle East, launching a programme to help ambitious young adults break into the communications industry, commissioning research into the impact of maternity leave on the industry, through to sponsoring the Women of Tomorrow Awards this is an area that Alice feels passionate about. This, coupled with a desire to provide individuals a platform through which they can work more flexibly is also one of the reasons she launched, The Work Crowd, a digital platform connecting freelance talent and businesses.

Alice is looking forward to maximising her role in the campaign and taking her efforts further, to get more women represented at the top.