With the appointment of the UK’s second female prime minister, are we likely to see a smoother Brexit process?

Hillary Clinton is the first female presidential nominee of a major political party in history. So does her bid for the White House mark a step change for women in leadership around the world? Or are there deep, underlying issues that we still need to address?

This week I can’t help but relating to the International Working Women’s day celebration. I’ll do so celebrating Voces Verdes (Green Voices) -- a great initiative by Mujeres por Africa (Women for Africa). Women for Africa is a Foundation aimed at contributing to African development through its women. Green Voices is a newly launched project to empower…

It is time for women to lead like women. And for both men and women to encourage and appreciate it. Women represent more than half of the world population, more than half of College graduates….and less than half drop-outs. . Whether that is considered male-or-female one. Yet, too many indications that this is not the…

I am back in Barcelona after spending a week in Asia, extremely encouraged by what I observed in that continent: work-family balance and, consequently, the advancement of women in leadership positions, is gaining importance at the political and corporate level. I had the opportunity to visit two large Japanese companies in Tokyo and meet the…

At the end of last month, I participated in the IWF World Leadership Conference. I am a board member of the association in Spain. The title "Transforming Tomorrow Today" embodied the incredible, proactive energy of the 800 Top Women from 40 countries who came together once again for the annual conference. The association, founded in…

The incidence of depression in women is currently twice that of men. What are the causes of this increased incidence? The psychiatrist Marian Rojas Estapé told us about this causal relationship during the last conference of the IWILL women's platform at the IESE campus in Barcelona. The causes of this major difference vary greatly. It…

The debate on the system of gender quotas for boards of directors is ongoing and although we should congratulate ourselves on some important advances, there is still a long way to go. I'm afraid the "coffee for all" approach often imposed in some countries, involving a mandatory percentage applicable to all companies in all sectors,…

A few years ago, the CEO of a German bank told me that women who wanted to have a professional career would not be able to balance it with a family life. His company, like many, has work-life balance initiatives, but this is out of reach for women who want to advance in their profession:…

Last week I visited Mujeres por Africa (Women for Africa), abbreviated as MxA. Women for Africa is a Foundation aimed at contributing to African development through its women. I had a great conversation with its initiator and President, Maria-Teresa Fernandez de la Vega (former Vice President of the Spanish government, 2004-2010) who shares a passion for…

"Men and women ARE different", Ursula Burns, the CEO of Xerox recently told me at an IESE event in Barcelona, (and I had to ask, "Can I quote you on this?". Her clear and direct answer was, “Please do!"). I couldn't agree more. Men and women are different. Otherwise, why would we need to have diversity in…

Patricia Arquette said it best, 'It's our time to have wage equality. Women all over the world face this same problem. According to the last report of the International Labour Organization, it remains clear: the pay gap is huge. Women in leadership are movie stars who work hard, shine brightly and contribute enormously to the overall success of the production—yet they make substantially less than their male counterparts...

“Looking at the world through women’s eyes”. This was the theme of the associations at the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in September 1995, which the UN has revived on its 20th anniversary to discuss the day after the celebration of this year's International Women's Day (March 8). Being encouraged by IESE,…

"Queens of Africa" is a line of black dolls inspired by the three largest tribes in Nigeria. They wear the wonderful traditional dresses of the three queens. And I love the song in the promotional video portraying the three queens—one of them is the Queen of Peace. , and obviously but most importantly, lack of…

This past November, the lack of consensus in the European Council resulted in the rejection of the European directive that would have made it imperative to have 40% women in the non-executive boards of publicly traded companies. Commissioner Viviane Reding had spent over two years advocating this measure, which had already been approved by the…

This week I met a group of great women business leaders from West Africa. African women are a powerful driving force. At the same time, their social recognition is not always on a par with that force. I find this somewhat paradoxical. African women have an important role to play on every level: some women are…