Future of work and gender inclusion in BFSI

The future of work is an opportunity to redesign leadership. A recent article in Forbes by Shelley Zalis reinforced something I’ve been noticing firsthand in my own transition and in conversations across my network. Over the past year, I’ve seen a significant number of highly capable, accomplished women step away from senior leadership roles. Not because they lack ambition. Not because they’ve stopped caring about impact. But because the structure of those roles hasn’t evolved. The data is telling: hundreds of thousands of women exited the workforce in 2025 — the majority voluntarily — with caregiving pressures, inflexible structures, and unsustainable expectations cited as key drivers. 📊 This isn’t a retention problem. It’s a structural one. From where I sit — at the intersection of finance, governance, and innovation — I see something else emerging: Many of these women do want to continue contributing to the economy. They want to lead. They want to build. They want to mentor and invest. But they want to do it differently. 💡 The future of work invites us to rethink not just who leads, but how leadership is structured. Potential solutions include; ✔ Fractional executive models ✔ Portfolio careers ✔ Board and advisory pathways ✔ Outcome-based performance over performative presence These aren’t compromises. They are smarter, more capital-efficient ways to deploy experienced talent — especially in growth-stage companies that need seasoned leadership, but not always in a full-time format. 🚀 I sense that the next generation is also seeking something different in the workforce. If we care about innovation, productivity, and long-term value creation, this is our moment to redesign leadership systems so qualified talent can stay in the game — and thrive. 🌱 The opportunity is clear. Will we evolve fast enough to seize it? If you are curious about this topic and/or are noticing this trend as well, message me. #FutureOfWork #WomenInLeadership #Governance #FractionalLeadership #InclusiveGrowth #BoardLeadership

AI is reshaping the #FutureOfWork. But women are at risk of being left behind.     Despite decades of contributions to computing science, women remain significantly underrepresented in AI leadership roles, with only 12% of executive positions held by women. At the same time, they’re adopting AI tools at work 25% less frequently than men (https://lnkd.in/eeX75-Cp).    This isn’t about interest or ability. It’s about access and training. Research also shows women are more likely to question the fairness and transparency of AI systems, contributing to hesitation and lower adoption rates.     The consequences may be far-reaching. As AI becomes central to decision-making, those who are slow to adopt it risk being excluded from strategic conversations and leadership pipelines. This underscores the need for clear organizational polices on acceptable and responsible AI use and the urgency of upskilling all employees. And when women are part of building or testing AI, the tools themselves can be leveraged to reduce gender biases and barriers that we’ve been trying to solve for decades. Everyone wins.    This isn’t just a tech issue. It’s a leadership one. Closing the AI adoption gap — and ensuring diverse perspectives are involved in creating AI models — is essential to building workplaces of the future defined by inclusion and belonging.    #WomenInAI #WomensLeadership 

Over 1.2 Crore women have left India’s workforce in 2024! India’s workforce is facing a silent crisis as 1.2 Crore women have either been laid off or quit their jobs in 2024. This isn’t only a gender issue. It’s a massive economic and business challenge growing day after day. Let’s look at the alarming numbers of women quitting the workforce: ❌ Female workforce participation in India has dropped to 27% which is well below the global average of 47%. ❌ 45% of recent layoffs in tech, BFSI, and startups have affected women. ❌ Women-led startups received only Rs 58,000 crore in VC funding, which is making it harder for them to scale. ❌ India’s pay gap is 19% which forces many women to reconsider corporate careers. If this trend continues, India could lose Rs 7 lakh crore in economic productivity over the next five years. 4 key reasons behind this decline: 1. Layoffs & hiring bias: Mass firings across industries have disproportionately impacted women, while post-layoff rehiring has been slower for them. 2. Burnout & unpaid care work: Women continue to shoulder 85% of household responsibilities, making full-time careers harder to sustain. 3. Lack of leadership roles: Women hold only 4.7% of CEO positions in India’s top companies, limiting career growth opportunities. 4. Rigid work cultures: Fewer companies are offering hybrid, flexible, or family-friendly policies, pushing many women towards freelancing and gig work. Let’s look at the unseen impact on businesses & industries: - Corporate talent drain: Companies are losing high-potential mid-to-senior female talent as it leads to gender imbalances in leadership pipelines. - Drop in innovation & performance: Studies show that companies with diverse teams outperform competitors by 25%, yet industries are failing to retain female talent. - Economic setback: A declining female workforce could reduce India’s GDP by Rs 15 lakh crore annually. - Rise of women-led entrepreneurs: Many women are launching their businesses and fueled a boom in new-age brands. To bring women back to the workforce, we need to, ✅ Inclusive policies: Rehiring, reskilling, and leadership opportunities must be equally accessible to women. ✅ Better work policies: Childcare support, flexible work models, and equal pay can prevent further talent loss. ✅ Investment in women-led businesses: Increasing VC funding for female founders and business owners will create an equal entrepreneurial ecosystem. India’s ambition to become the world’s largest and second-largest economy cannot succeed if half its workforce keeps shrinking. The time to act is now before it is too late. What’s the biggest factor driving women out of the workforce in your opinion? What do you think? #womenempowerment #economy #india #business #gender #equality 

At Parliament for the launch of the Women and Work APPG’s latest report, hosted by Sarah Russell MP. Written by Imogen Vanhegan-Harris, the report rightly highlights the real risks women face as AI reshapes the labour market. From under-representation in tech design to structural biases baked into today’s systems. The message aligns with Progress Together and Accenture UK & Ireland’s report “RISE with AI” which shows a growing two-tier workforce in financial services: employees rapidly adopting AI tools and reaping benefits and others being left behind. Without intentional, inclusive approaches to AI readiness, existing disparities, including socio-economic and gender gaps, will widen rather than narrow. ✨ AI won’t deliver its promise unless we make sure everyone is prepared for it, not just the early adopters or the most privileged. ✨ Workforce readiness, skills access and inclusive leadership aren’t “nice-to-haves, they’re business imperatives. ✨ And most importantly, diversity in design, governance and opportunity is critical if we want technology to empower, not exclude. It’s clear to me that building an AI-ready workforce is as much a leadership challenge as a technical one. If we want technology that supports equitable careers, then inclusive talent strategy and data-driven learning pathways must be core to our transformation plans. Thank you to Sarah Russell MP and the APPG for convening this discussion. #WomenAndWork #AIReadyWorkforce #FutureOfWork #Inclusion #Diversity #Leadership #30PercentClub #ProgressTogether https://lnkd.in/eTniSz4V

💼 Organisations and Advisory Boards shaping the future of work must ensure AI strategies don't leave half the talent pool behind. AI is redefining the workforce. However, without deliberate action, we risk reinforcing the same gender biases that have long plagued the tech industry and senior leadership positions. According to the Gender Parity in the Intelligent Age report: 📉 Women are more likely to be in jobs disrupted by GenAI 🔧 Women are less likely to benefit from AI augmentation 📊 Women are underrepresented in STEM and AI leadership roles 📈 However, the gap is narrowing, offering a window for positive change. This aligns with an article I wrote for SmartCompany about how tech is still dominated by a 'bro culture' that drives talented women away. From biased hiring systems to lack of inclusive leadership, the barriers are structural and persistent. 🧱 If we don’t fix the foundations, AI risks automating exclusion rather than opportunity. Advisory boards and executive teams have a powerful opportunity (and responsibility) to challenge this trajectory by: 👩💼 Embedding gender equity into AI design, policy and leadership 🤖 Using AI to elevate, not replace, undervalued roles traditionally held by women 🧠 Bringing inclusive thinking to strategic decision-making 🚀 Making gender parity part of every future-of-work conversation AI should be a force for progress and not a mirror of our old mistakes. How is your organisation or advisory board actively driving gender-inclusive innovation?