Is anyone paying attention to what is happening with women at senior leadership positions? Something like 5 Women VP and SVP level resignations since Christmas with minimal communication. Meanwhile, the boys club flourishes.
6 replies (most recent on top)
Nothing will change. I have been with the company long enough to know that Herzo is a shark pond where the one with the biggest mouth and the sharpest teeth floats to the top. Lip service to the flavor of the month will get you ahead, not accomplishment.
Obvious original post is a male POV chauvinist with fair points to consider. Agreed that more female leaders are needed in the workplace. However, the recent hires have been horrific unskilled leaders.
Resume heat seekers. Nothing more nothing less, there are plenty of females (and males) deserving to lead that have stuck it out through the bad and ugliness of this place.
Yes there are people of color, people of X chromosome and people of Y chromosome all of who can lead.
Too many buttercups and not enough people who want to lead people. Keep complaining on here it’s great.
Ohhhhh spot on.
I agree.
Most of the departures were knee jerk reaction hires to the check the box during “the “ movement.
They left before their ineptitude was discovered. No loss. They won. They got paid and left before the brand figured it out. It’s still a boys club but there are still plenty of unqualified girls hanging out. The cycle continues. It’s a party of won.
Clare Midwood knew exactly how to navigate within the toxic Boys Club - that doesn't mean she's the answer to the problem. The problem is the Boys Club - full stop.
VF and NG leaving might be seen as bad from a female representation at the senior leadership level but from a talent and impact on brand POV this was for the best. Echoing the reply below coming from someone in Brands they will not be missed..
We just need some of the male VPs and SVPs to follow starting with the head of Brands. Funny how BG seems to worry a lot more about where his office should be in Laces than the current state of the Brand
Not sure they will all be missed.
Why?
The brand leadership was way too male and it was obvious for a long time. Not enough succession planning has been done. There was a need to address that and a lot of externals were brought in to senior leadership over a very short period. The problem about a sudden knee jerk reaction to a long-term issue is that some of the people hired were not good enough, out of their depth, and didn't have enough experience.
The long term sustainable fix to gender inequality in the leadership needs to combine a blend of internal development and high quality recruitment. Everyone with a basic understanding of the market understands that the consumer and revenue opportunity is greater from women than men. However in the short term the brand needs proven expertise and therefore the leadership hires need to be people who know the brand.
adidas should be going after people like Clare Midwood. Proven leader, knows the brand, can deliver short term impact.