Female CEO Excellence 2017 Awards

8 CEO MONTHLY / FEMALE CEO EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2017 , Talking Talent is the leading provider of consultancy and coaching for women and working parents in the UK and is at the forefront of developing the female talent pipeline across the globe. Founder Jo Lyon, talks to us about her company and her aspirations for the future. Most Influential Performance Coaching MD – South England & Best Global Coaching Consultancy The challenge of female representation at board level and the progression of women is well documented. Businesses and governments recognise that enabling women to work at the most senior levels is good for the individuals and businesses involved. Jo discusses the firm’s overall mission. “At Talking Talent, we are passionate about helping organisations achieve their equality goals and move far past current figures that show women make up just 29% of hires to UK boards. “The team’s aim is to improve the dialogue between individuals and companies. Professional coaching can help women make progress in their careers and fulfil their potential.” Jo’s background in headhunting, HR and coaching gave her the opportunity to engage and support hundreds of women on an individual basis. Those conversations also made Jo want to help on a larger scale and ultimately inspired her to do her research and co-found Talking Talent. “Since 2005, we have been steadily building our unique approaches to helping women realise their full potential. We have coached around 19,000 women, working parents and line managers, and on average save over £100m a year across our clients in retention alone. We have a truly global footprint. Talking Talent’s own flexible approach to working has attracted the very best in coaching talent. Regarding the future, Jo is optimistic for gender diversity, whilst also discussing her own personal ambitions, not just for her but also for her family. “A perfect 50:50 gender balance for some of our clients may be an unrealistic ambition in the short term - but that is ok. A good starting point is to get a critical mass of women into each leadership team. And from there organisations can create new, more inclusive and effective cultures. “Fundamentally, I am extremely committed to ‘shifting the dial’ on tough gender and commercial targets by building more inclusive cultures where everyone is engaged and can reach their potential. I want to support FCE17003 organisations to retain and develop their talented women. For me, it’s personal - I have three daughters, so am striving for the business world to be a different place for them.” Contact: Jo Lyon Contact Email: [email protected] Address: 102 Crowmarsh Battle Barns, Preston Crowmarsh, Oxfordshire, OX10 6SL, UK Phone: 01491 821 850 Web Address: www.talking-talent.com