WeQual: Eight Exceptional Women Executives Honoured in EMEA Diversity Awards
15.12.2020 18:17:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Eight businesswomen holding prominent executive roles in leading companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa have been named as winners in the annual WeQual Awards (www.wequal.com/awards).
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201215005796/en/
WeQual EMEA 2020 - Winners (Photo: Business Wire)
WeQual identifies and recognises world-class women executives, one level below the group C-suite, and is designed to promote diversity and gender equality within the group executive committees of EMEA’s largest companies.
The eight winners were selected from a shortlist of 24 finalists. The successful award holders are employed in Aryzta, Bayer’s Consumer Health Division, Bureau Veritas, Fresenius Medical Care, Ooredoo Qatar, Sodexo, Standard Chartered Bank and Unilever.
Katie Litchfield, Founder and CEO of WeQual, says: “WeQual identifies already successful senior women who are qualified to be appointed to the group C-suite. Our mission is to tackle the slow progress in appointing diverse women to executive roles and highlight successes where they occur.
“The glass-ceiling concept has been an issue for decades, and the drop-off is steepest just below the group C-suite, so it is important to champion gender equality at the top.”
The awards come at an important time for women in business. The global Covid-19 pandemic is in danger of pushing back opportunities for women to be appointed to the most senior positions. “The fact that we are able to celebrate the achievements of these women in major companies at this time sets a shining example to others,” says Katie Litchfield.
The winners are:
− Bola Adesola: Senior Vice-Chairman, Africa, Standard Chartered Bank, Nigeria. Head of Region Category.
− Dr Cora Koppe-Stahrenberg: Executive Vice President, Global Head of Human Resources, Fresenius Medical Care, Germany. People Excellence Category.
− Munera AL-Dosari: Chief Strategy Officer, Ooredoo Qatar. Strategy Development Category.
− Patricia Amaro: Digital Hub and E-commerce Director, Unilever, Spain. Digital Impact Category.
− Patricia Corsi: Global Chief Marketing and Digital Officer, Bayer’s Consumer Health Division, Switzerland. Brand Innovation Category.
− Nathalie Pousin: Chief Financial Officer, France, Africa, GSIT, Bureau Veritas, France. Finance Category.
− Petra Melander: EMEA Account Director, Sodexo, Finland. Commercial Performance Category.
− Rebeca Navarro: Chief Transformation Officer for Europe and Head of Procurement, Aryzta, Switzerland. Transformational Leadership Category.
The 24 finalists were assessed against seven criteria: Leadership, Cognitive Ability, Integrity, Drive and Resilience, Equality, Knowledge of the Business, and Personal Development. All candidates were assessed blind with no name or company revealed in their application.
To choose the winners, eight executive interviewers held 30-minute interviews with the three finalists in each category before each choosing a category winner. The judges were:
− Sir Ian Cheshire, Chairman, Barclays UK
− Viswas Raghavan, CEO EMEA, J.P. Morgan
− Warren East, CEO, Rolls-Royce
− Dame Inga Beale, Chairperson, Mediclinic
− Chris O'Shea, CEO, Centrica
− Ron Kalifa OBE, Chairman, Network International
− Tamara Box, Managing Partner EME, Reed Smith LLP
− Tulsi Naidu, CEO, Zurich Insurance Company UK
All the 24 award finalists have been given access to a range of WeQual support services and networks designed to help them make the step up to the group executive level. A quarter of WeQual award winners in the UK and USA have since been promoted to the global executive committees of FTSE and Fortune 500 companies. There are now 96 senior women involved with WeQual globally.
(Ends)
Notes to editors
About WeQual
WeQual's mission is to make businesses more inclusive by identifying exceptional women executives and address the gender imbalance across the world's Group Executive Committees. Katie Litchfield, founder and CEO of WeQual Awards, devised the new platform which calls for women senior executives to build their case as to why they deserve to be appointed to the Group Executive Committee.
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wequal-awards
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeQualGlobal
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBpixTLeUsQVjwrivAP9-KA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeQualAwards
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wequalglobal
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201215005796/en/
Contact information
Katie Litchfield
katie@wequal.com
Mobile: + 44 7796 147466
UK office: +44 20 3290 3389
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Fi Expands International Footprint to 38 Countries Worldwide2.6.2026 20:25:00 EEST | Press release
Fi, the leader in smart pet technology, today announced a major international expansion, bringing its AI-powered GPS pet wearables and connectivity network to 38 countries across North America and Europe. Fi devices are now available for purchase in 29 markets, including newly added countries such as Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, and Latvia. Through Fi's international connectivity network, customers can also use Fi in Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Turkey, bringing Fi's total coverage footprint to 38 countries. The expansion reflects growing demand from pet owners who want reliable connectivity and health insights, whether they're at home or traveling abroad. "Wherever your pet roams, Fi should work," said Jonathan Bensamoun, Founder and CEO of Fi. "As more pet owners travel internationally and expect seamless connectivity, we're expanding Fi's footprint to help them stay connected to their pets across more of Europe a
XFolio AI Acquires Absolute Payment Solutions to Unify Treasury and Payments for UK Corporates2.6.2026 20:16:00 EEST | Press release
XFolio AI (xfolio.ai), a Paris-based treasury and cash management technology group, has acquired Absolute Payment Solutions (APS) (https://www.absolutepayments.com/), one of a select number of Pay.UK-accredited Bacs service providers in the UK. This acquisition creates an integrated platform spanning Bacs and all payment types, open banking, risk management, and treasury—giving UK corporates of all sizes the tools to manage cash and execute payments in one place. APS’s Bacs accreditation underpins payment services relied upon daily by organisations across both the public and private sectors, from SMEs running payroll and direct debit collections to large corporates processing high-volume payment flows. While enterprise payment platforms often demand significant scale and budget, and lighter solutions trade capability for speed of setup, APS and XFolio together deliver accredited Bacs infrastructure combined with advanced treasury intelligence across SWIFT, API, H2H, and EBICS rails—wit
Amazfit Introduces a New Era of Hybrid Training with Balance 3 and Balance Ultra2.6.2026 20:00:00 EEST | Press release
Amazfit, a leading global smart wearable brand owned by Zepp Health, today unveiled the Amazfit Balance 3 and Amazfit Balance Ultra, the newest additions to the Balance series and the hero watches for Amazfit’s new Hybrid Training System, connecting performance tracking with intelligent training guidance through the Zepp App. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602329170/en/ Built around how modern athletes train today, Balance 3 and Balance Ultra are designed for people balancing strength, endurance, recovery, work, stress, and daily life. The devices serve as the engine layer of the connected Hybrid Training ecosystem, capturing how users train, recover, and respond over time. The products were unveiled at a launch event in New York during a panel hosted by leading voices from the fitness and HYROX community. Built around how modern athletes train today, Balance 3 and Balance Ultra are designed for people bal
Mouser's Rise of the Robots Program Explores Humanoid Design Considerations2.6.2026 18:19:00 EEST | Press release
Mouser Electronics, Inc., the authorized global distributor with the newest electronic components and industrial automation products, today announced the latest installment of its Empowering Innovation Together (EIT) technology series, Rise of the Robots, which explores key technologies behind humanoid robots and their potential for transformation. The series shares how these robots have progressed from simple machinery to critical tools used in caregiving, industrial automation, education, and even in the harshest environments. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602293561/en/ The latest EIT installment explores the engineering design process, system integration challenges, and the role of legacy infrastructure, safety, and ROI in shaping scalable humanoid robot deployment. While science fiction has long envisioned robots resembling humans, recent advances in sensing, actuation, AI, embedded computing, and pow
Blue Cloud Ventures Announces Final Close of Blue Cloud Ventures V2.6.2026 17:35:00 EEST | Press release
Blue Cloud Ventures (BCV), a venture growth firm focused on investing in enterprise software companies, announced the final close of its fifth fund, Blue Cloud Ventures V (BCV V). This milestone reinforces the firm’s continued mission to back category-defining companies that are poised to thrive in the age of AI. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602186634/en/ At the core of BCV’s strategy is building deep conviction in and backing companies that possess the potential to define or reshape entire industries. With BCV V, the firm is doubling down on its AI-first investment thesis, aiming to back and support visionary teams on their long-term growth journey as they build the systems that will serve as the backbone of the modern enterprise. Blue Cloud typically invests between $10 and $30 million as a lead, co-lead, or co-investor. Beyond support with strategy, recruiting, and customer introductions, the firm pro
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom