Pathway to Success: Accelerating Women in Leadership

A growing cohort of CEOs and senior leaders is not just talking about gender equity; they are actively working to achieve it. These trailblazers are reshaping legacy systems, challenging entrenched norms, and proving that inclusive leadership is not only possible but transformative.

Despite years of effort, women continue to be significantly underrepresented in industrial roles.

These figures are not just statistics; they signal untapped potential. Closing these gaps is not only a matter of fairness but a strategic imperative. Diverse leadership is associated with stronger performance, broader perspectives, and more effective decision-making. The time for incremental progress has passed; bold action is needed.

This article distils the most impactful strategies and outcomes from these leaders, offering a blueprint for others who want to accelerate change. It is not a theoretical discussion; it is a practical guide, drawn from real-world experience and enriched with data, stories, and personal insights.

1. Leadership Accountability: Making Equity a Business Imperative

A recurring theme among industrial CEOs is the shift from knowing better to doing better. Many organisations have diversity strategies on paper, but real progress demands visible leadership commitment, measurable targets, and consequences for inaction.

At a tier-one global mining business, one senior executive inherited sites with just 16% female representation and nearly all-male leadership. Rather than accept excuses such as remote locations, FIFO rosters, and legacy hiring norms, they set a firm target: 25% of leadership appointments must be women, with a stretch goal of 33%. Critically, 8% of managers’ bonuses were tied to hitting these targets. The result? Every site met or exceeded the threshold within a year. One reached 28% female hires.

This wasn’t about quotas; it was about accountability. Leaders were compelled to interrogate their hiring pipelines, promotion criteria, and feedback mechanisms. Diversity became operational.

Another CEO transformed a historically male-dominated energy company by rebuilding the executive team to achieve gender balance. This wasn’t symbolic; it changed how decisions were made, how meetings were run, and how culture was shaped. Diversity became embedded in succession planning, with every promotion slate scrutinised for gender balance. If women weren’t represented, leaders were asked why and required to address the issue.

As one leader put it, “Businesses set targets for operations, finances, safety, so this is no different.”

Key insight: Treating gender equity as a business imperative, alongside operations, safety, and financial performance, drives results. When leaders take ownership of the outcomes, change occurs.

2. Culture Change: Creating Environments Where Women Thrive 

Representation alone is insufficient. Women must feel truly included and valued. CEOs leading change understand that culture must evolve to support diverse talent.

One executive launched a company-wide initiative after hearing stark feedback from female site workers. While male colleagues said, “She’s just one of the team,” women described daily discomfort, from ill-fitting PPE to exclusion from informal networks. In response, the company upgraded its facilities, redesigned its gear, and trained leaders to foster a sense of belonging.

Another CEO challenged the “ideal worker” myth, which is the expectation of 24/7 availability. They began scheduling emails for business hours and explicitly told staff not to reply after hours. Flexible start times and results-based performance reviews replaced presenteeism. These small shifts sent a powerful message: productivity isn’t about being constantly available, it’s about outcomes.

When women feel they belong, they lead with authenticity and make a lasting impact. One executive noted that after achieving gender balance on their leadership team, the tone of meetings changed. Women’s voices were heard, interruptions declined, and collaboration improved. Topics like customer needs and social trends, once considered niche, became central to strategy.

Key insight: Inclusive cultures are built through intentional design of behaviours, norms, and environments. Belonging unlocks performance.

3. Flexibility and Support: Retaining Talent Through Life’s Transitions

Industrial careers often lose women midstream. Especially during the “second decade,” when caregiving pressures are at their peak. CEOs who retain female talent do so by redesigning work itself.

One company introduced 20 weeks’ paid parental leave for all genders and continued superannuation contributions during leave. The breakthrough came when men started taking leave. This normalised caregiving for all, reduced stigma, and made it easier for women to return without penalty.

Another firm institutionalised job-sharing for management roles. Two women who had shared a role for 20 years became mentors for others transitioning to part-time work. Now, anyone moving to flexible arrangements receives a “briefing” from them, ensuring continuity and success.

A stark statistic: Only 6% of industrial sector employees work part-time, versus 21% across all industries. Among industrial managers, only 3% are part-time. The panel encouraged leaders to be open-minded: if a valued engineer wants a four-day workweek to care for their family, find a way to design the job or distribute tasks so it’s feasible.

Key insight: Flexibility isn’t a perk, it’s a strategic enabler. When companies support life events, they keep talent in the pipeline and build loyalty.

4. Sponsorship and Advocacy: Bridging the Mid-Career Gap

Data shows women enter industrial roles in equal numbers but stall mid-career. CEOs who break this pattern invest in mentorship and sponsorship.

One leader implemented a system that tracked and reviewed promotion rates by gender on a quarterly basis. If women weren’t advancing proportionally, targeted development plans were created. This “mirror” approach helped identify “broken rungs” and fix them before they became ceilings.

Another executive made it a personal mission to sponsor high-potential women into P&L roles, a critical stepping stone to the C-suite. They didn’t just advise; they advocated. They put their reputation behind these appointments and ensured the women had the support to succeed.

One executive shared how tailored mentorship helped her navigate career and family simultaneously. She assumed a major operational role while pregnant, with a colleague stepping in to conduct site walk-arounds. “We got creative and managed the interface,” she said. That support enabled her to become the only mother on a global refinery leadership team.

Key insight: Sponsorship is the accelerator. It’s not enough to mentor; leaders must actively open doors and champion women into stretch roles.

5. Challenging Bias and Redefining Merit

Industrial sectors often cling to narrow definitions of merit, prioritising pedigree over potential. CEOs driving change are challenging this directly.

One leader asked, “If we always hire based on past experience, how do we ever diversify?” Their team began evaluating candidates on transferable skills, leadership behaviours and growth potential. The result? More diverse hires and stronger teams.

Another CEO addressed the “merit trap” by requiring diverse shortlists for every senior role. If a department consistently promoted only men, it triggered a review of evaluation criteria, project assignments and visibility opportunities.

A common pushback is, “We hire based on merit; we can’t compromise standards.” The panel reframed this argument. How can we rethink the merit discussion in the context of accelerating women's progress? The answer: broaden your view of merit. If merit has historically meant a particular pedigree that few women had access to, then that definition is inherently biased. Requiring narrow experiences, such as “must have C-suite experience” or “must have run a mine,” can inadvertently exclude capable women. Instead, focus on transferable skills and potential.

Key insight: Merit must be redefined. When leaders broaden their lens, they uncover talent that was previously overlooked.

The Blueprint for Change

The CEOs leading the charge for gender equity in industry are not waiting for permission. They are:

• • Setting firm targets and tying them to performance
  • Redesigning culture to foster inclusion and belonging
  • Normalising flexibility to retain talent through life’s transitions
  • Sponsoring women into critical leadership roles
  • Challenging bias and expanding the definition of merit

These are not abstract ideas; they are proven strategies with measurable outcomes. The organisations implementing them are seeing stronger teams, better decisions and more resilient cultures.

The message is clear: gender equity is not a mystery. It is a matter of commitment, creativity and courage. And the leaders who embrace it are not just changing their companies; they are changing the industry.

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