Lotte Kraaijenbrink (Senior Associate), Maria Montijn (Associate) and Brecht Gijsbertsen (Director) share their experiences about the training and the importance of our community.
As part of the Women's Team, Lotte explained that the team had free reign to organize any event they desired, and this time chose to focus on leadership. “Driven by the fact that many leadership styles seen daily are male-dominated and sometimes difficult to relate to, we aimed to make every woman in the office feel like a leader, regardless of their tenure or role. The goal was to provide tools to develop their own leadership style and foster the growth of female leaders in the office.”
Lotte appreciated Leonique Houweling's keynote (Senior Advisor at Aon), which highlighted the importance of such trainings. It reminded us that while progress has been made, there is still a long way to go for true equality. “The practicality of Leonique's advice made it tangible and relatable (like wear pants instead of skirts when you must sit, for example in a panel, in front of an audience). In addition, the session on saying strategically no was valuable, providing a Yes/No framework to help put requests into perspective and practical tips for how to say no in a professional environment, leaving less room for discussion.”
“We want every woman in the office to feel their own leadership and take charge, regardless of their tenure or role, and provide them with the tools to develop their own leadership style.”
Maria, as a newcomer to the firm with an engineering background, was amazed by Strategy&'s commitment to empowering women and promoting gender equity. “What stood out to me was the intentionality behind facilitating discussions within the female community. I also noticed dedicated support from partner level, which emphasizes how deeply this commitment is embedded in the firm’s culture. This helped me realize that many of the worries, thoughts, and insecurities I have are shared by others in the office . It is incredibly reassuring and inspiring to be part of a firm that actively creates a safe environment for such dialogue and mutual support.”
Maria found the session on showing vulnerability particularly memorable. “It shifted my perspective by highlighting that vulnerability is not a weakness but a form of strength. What I found particularly inspiring was the emphasis that everyone, whether they are three months or 15 years into their career, should feel the space to be vulnerable. I believe it is equally important to encourage men to embrace vulnerability, as it fosters deeper connections and a more balanced, inclusive workplace. Creating this safe environment where authenticity and openness are valued is important and will increase mutual understanding throughout the entire office.”
“The Female Leadership training shifted my perspective by highlighting that vulnerability is not a weakness, but rather a form of strength.”
Brecht adds that having a strong female community enables women to share experiences and learn together. Women are empowered to strengthen and show their own leadership and cheer each other on, making the community more inclusive. As a result, women stay. “My key-take aways from this training are: amazing things happen when you give a few women free reign, it's both terrifying as well as rewarding to share a deeply personal story on your own vulnerability with 20+ women, and I am so-so proud of the focus and surrender with which all attendees showed up to this training. I really do feel inspired. I have gotten to know a lot of colleagues much better and look forward to whatever happens next.”
Read more about what we do for our female community by visiting our Women @ Strategy& page.
“Having a strong female community enables women to share experiences, learn together, and empower each other. Amazing things happen when women are given free reign."
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