Inga Beale

“"There's been a huge change for women in senior positions. Some of this has been about signing up to things like the 30% Club, where a lot of boards have agreed to commit to having a third of their directors as females."”

“"It's only by sharing your own experiences that other people can get a glimpse into what it's like for people who are different to you.””

“"If you want to be a creative, innovative, successful business, you embrace diverse talent, and you create an inclusive environment. It's the only way to be successful in the long term. Not one part of the community can do this on their own; it can only be done together.””

“"If you have to pretend to be someone you aren’t for too long, it will poison you from inside."”

“"Find somewhere to work where the culture, values and behaviours align with your own."”

“"I know it’s impacted people’s decisions about inviting me and my partner to events and it has made me feel uncomfortable meeting politicians representing countries where homosexuality is illegal."”

“"I chose to come out as bisexual just prior to starting at Lloyd’s of London so I know how it feels to be different. I am glad I have been honest because it had begun to feel like I was lying to the people around me."”

““Although it’s easier than it used to be for people to come out as LGBTQ+ at work, it’s still hard.””

““Believe in your own ability – I was so under confident that I even said ‘no’ to the first promotion I was offered.””

““The PIE model is one that I totally buy into. It stands for Performance, Image and Exposure. These are the three elements that are essential for your career development."”

““The golden rule is to keep communicating – 1. Communicate the business case; 2. Communicate it’s the right thing to do; 3. Communicate that you mean it."”

“"I got a lot of my strength and support not only from my family but also from women’s networks – a source of inspirational energy to keep going.””

“"I have taken on several CEO roles in my life and some organisations have required a turnaround or a huge transformation. To have people focus on your leadership skills, your experience and the great things you have achieved, rather than the way you look or a small mistake you have made, would have made it much easier."”

““Criticism comes at women leaders from more angles than men – there is now data showing that microaggressions in the workplace are higher against women than men.””

“"If we can get this gender thing right, we can then get it right for all sorts of other groups that feel perhaps marginalized or under-represented, particularly in the senior levels in the workplace."”

“"I look back at that 32-year old Inga, and I don't recognize her now-but that was how under-confident I was. I don't think I was ready or good enough to take the job."”

“"I can remember, it was in the 1990s and I had been working in the insurance for about 14 years and I was offered my first promotion. This was going to be the first time I was going to manage one person at work, and do you know what? I said'No'."”

““People don’t know who to trust any more. So, we’ve got to find another mechanism to include much bigger parts of the population, and use different metrics to measure success of a country.””

““It’s good to have someone completely different to you to chat about things with.””

““People are a bit reluctant to reveal what is going on in their world. And others are nervous talking about it because they don’t know what to say and don’t want to look silly.””