Leading women make case for quotas in City in live global debate

Global Thinkers Forum marking International Women's Day and hosted by the Evening Standard. Panel (L to R): Businesswoman Paola Diana, Inspiring Girls CEO Vicky Booth, author Shamim Sarif, High Commissioner of Rwanda, Yamina Karitanyi, GTF founder Elizabeth Filippouli, economist Vicky Pryce, and BBC World presenter Tim Willcox. (Picture: Adam Duke)

Quotas are needed in the City to ensure women secure top executive roles, according to an expert panel.

Leading women in business, the arts, politics and the public and voluntary sectors met in six cities worldwide yesterday for the second annual Athena40 Forum.

The forum, ahead of Inter­national Women’s Day on Sunday, discussed “making the case on female leadership”.

The London panel was hosted at the Evening Standard’s offices, with live feeds to Karachi, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Beirut and Amman, and talks in California and Athens.

BBC World presenter Tim Willcox chaired the London event, with economist Vicky Pryce, High Commissioner of Rwanda Yamina Karitanyi, Vicky Booth, CEO of charity Inspiring Girls, author Shamim Sarif, entrepreneur Paola Diana and Global Thinkers Forum founder Elizabeth Filippouli taking part.

All panellists argued for quotas.

The Global Thinkers Forum is to hold all-day panel discussions at the British Library on April 23 — athena40forum.com