‘The glass ceiling is changing – diverse boards bring more innovation’

Fiona Hathorn is the CEO of Women on Boards UK. In this insightful interview with Heidi Staples, Fiona discusses the many issues facing today’s boards and directors in the UK and around the world including:

• Why diversity of thought is so important at board level
• The progress when it comes to diversity and inclusion at board level
• The cultural changes that have yet to happen in the corporate world
• How UK and international boards now approach gender and ethnic diversity
• The practical steps organisations can take to ensure there is greater diversity at board level
• Demystifying what the boardroom does
• Why the chair of a board plays such a vital role
• The importance of carrying out due diligence before joining a board
• Why boards today have to work so much harder
• The skills required to be an effective board member
• Why shareholder activism is changing the corporate world’s approach to inclusion and diversity
• How the ‘glass ceiling’ is shifting and why this is a good thing for society

Fiona Hathorn is the CEO of Women on Boards UK, an advisory board member and former non-executive director of Spktral (a technology firm that helps organisations simplify the gender pay gap reporting process).

Fiona is also an advisor to Peel Hunt (mid-cap stockbroker) and chair of Hanx’s nominations committee (an FMCG startup).

In addition to her expertise in governance, regulations, and talent management, she has served on marketing, and audit and finance committees.

Fiona is also a patron of Fight for Sight (a medical research charity) and was formerly a director for Hill Samuel Asset Management.

She has advised the board of the Thai Euro Fund and is a judge for the non-executive director awards, sponsored by The Sunday Times.

In 2020 Fiona joined King’s College London’s ‘Global Institute for Women’s Leadership’ advisory board.