Women in Leadership: Mentorship, Progression and Confidence

At Clarivate, we are committed to empowering and uplifting our women colleagues. We firmly believe that a diverse workforce that values every voice assures broader, richer solutions and creates a community where all colleagues can succeed.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day was #ChooseToChallenge. We can each help to create a gender equal world when we choose to challenge gender bias, act for justice and celebrate women’s successes and contributions. From challenge comes transformation, and by choosing to challenge, we will change the world for the better.

In this post, Clarivate women leaders share what equality means to them and how they choose to challenge. Opinions expressed are those of the women quoted.

Ronda Majure, Head of Brand IP Sales at Clarivate

Study upon study has shown that women bring a great deal of value to the workplace, as well as to the bottom line. While more women are running Fortune 500 businesses than ever before, a study by McKinsey & Company showed that only one in five senior leaders is a woman. This is alarming when you consider that women have been proven to outperform men in key emotional intelligence competencies, which make them more effective in the workplace. CEOs with skills in compassion and integrity enjoy a much higher ROI over a two-year period.

Diversity brings differences in thoughts which are critical for decision-making. Unfortunately, many companies do not view gender diversity as a priority. Here at Clarivate, there is a concerted effort to ensure that women in sales have a path to leadership. I have been asked to lead this effort in sales and I am pleased to say the passion for creating an environment where women can thrive has never been stronger. A program built for women, by women. The effort is poised to grow as we form mentorships and sponsorships that create open dialogue, while celebrating the important role that women play in business. Diversity benefits business, especially in sales. Clarivate has a diverse client base who often vet vendors based on their commitment to inclusion. Therefore, having more women in leadership roles is a matter of corporate responsibility, not just choice.

I choose to challenge bias. We should all raise our voices to eliminate historic bias and show the myriad advantages that diversity brings to the table – from the boardroom to the back office – in both engagement and the bottom line.

Anne Lecocq, Business of Science Director at Clarivate

Diversity is always a gift. Cultural diversity, diverse ways of thinking, diverse skills, life experiences, gender and so many other forms together create an inclusive environment. I’ve never asked myself if I can or can’t do something because I am a woman. I take each decision based on what I believe would be the best for me as a person, not as a woman. Gender should not matter for career progression, only skills and ability to do the job should.

Personally, I’ve never felt discriminated in my work environment because of my gender. However, looking back I certainly got some questions during interview processes a long time ago that may not have been asked to a man. There is still a long way to go to reach the point where gender will not matter. We will achieve real equality when we don’t need to talk about women’s equality.

I believe that equality starts in the private sphere, at home. If you want to have a chance to have a successful career, you need to be supported at home as well as you can’t be in both places at the same time. As a woman, I had to fight against myself more than anyone else to not feel badly dedicating so many hours to a job I enjoy because, as a woman, as a mother and as a wife, society sometimes makes you feel having a successful career is not compatible with a successful family life. This is one of the stereotypes we must change.

In order to progress we also need to surround ourselves with people from whom we can learn, who are willing to share their experience, provide support, trust in us, offer opportunities and dedicate time to our development. Clarivate creates a working environment where leaders are accessible and focused on personal and professional development. We are offered opportunities to grow by experience and through exposure to new fields of activities, and provided the time to dedicate to teams and individuals.

I choose to challenge all women to believe in themselves, believe they can achieve all that they want and that they can break the glass ceiling. We are the ones to own our actions, to drive our career. I choose to challenge everyone to fight against stereotypes and bias affecting our ability as a group to reach real equality of chances.

Meredith Ressi, Chief Commercial Officer at Clarivate

We continue to see research conclusively show that diversity of all types, including gender diversity, leads to better business performance.  Whether it’s representation at the board, executive leadership team, manager or team level, the results are the same – diverse teams create better results.

Having “Value Every Voice” as one of our company values highlights the importance of both actively nurturing diversity, and then having the attentiveness, curiosity and commitment to reap the benefits of that diversity by valuing the voices you bring to the table.

I try to focus on “being the change” you want to see, first by continually educating myself on allyship, unconscious bias and challenging my own biases. This is a continual learning process and I am constantly amazed as I find new opportunities for awareness, relearning and uncovering unconscious biases.

I particularly keep an eye out for opportunities to identify future managers at what is referred to as the “broken rung” of the corporate ladder: entry level management positions that are the starting ground for grooming the next generation of leaders for the business. I also look for opportunities to consciously amplify the accomplishments of colleagues whose voices and achievements may not be as visible.

Finally, I am honored to have a terrific and growing network of amazing women around Clarivate who I count as friends, coaches and collaborators whom I am constantly learning from, and I hope my experience and perspective is a useful source for them as well.

Fung Siew Tyng, APAC Head of Commercial Operations, based in Singapore

Throughout my career, I have had the privilege to work with men and women with different cultural, racial, tenure and education backgrounds. I do my best to treat everyone as individuals, value each person’s perspective and recognize and celebrate differences. I’ve had the opportunity to build diverse teams in the last 20+ years, and my focus has always been to enable and bring the best out of each individual. I believe opportunity presents itself to someone who is ready.

At home, I am lucky enough to have the support of my husband who was the primary caregiver when our daughter was young. He is also a great cook. However, childcare is still perceived as a woman’s responsibility, I believe especially in Asian society where men are often expected to be the breadwinner of the family. My husband used to face stigma from family and friends for being a stay-at-home dad. Both women and men should be encouraged to do anything they believe in and are good at, whether at work or at home.

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