Women Leaders Fostering Equality in the Workplace

As a woman-owned, woman-run business, at GSPR we’re passionate about equality in the workplace. We care deeply about advancing women in their careers, and we strive to support and celebrate the women leaders who are working toward this same goal.

As women climb the corporate ladder in the workplace, especially women of color, the opportunities become fewer and fewer. Don’t get us wrong, women have been hard at work trying to change the world as it relates to working women, and Forbes reports that in 2021 female CEOs of fortune 500 companies broke a record by 41 women-run or women-led organizations. But this record is shadowed by the fact that this ‘new high’ still means that only 8.1% of fortune 500 companies have a woman at the helm. Of 500, there are only 41.

We hope to see the trend of women-run, women-owned and women-led companies change and increase over the next few years, and that’s why we want to celebrate the women in leadership roles who are making a difference by either climbing the ladder themselves and/or by fostering leadership and professional growth and opportunities for their female subordinates. 

Here are the six women CEOs, founders, and leaders we’re following right now that are making a big difference for women’s equality and inclusion in the workforce. 

Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors

Mary is a unique and incredibly impactful CEO, and female leader in the fortune 500 ring. What’s most interesting about her career with GM is that she began working with the company as a co-op student in 1980, while she was still finishing school, and then came back to become their CEO in 2014. Mary has spearheaded the transformation of the company’s production focus on developing clean-energy vehicles, and while she doesn’t overtly claim to be focused on advancing women in the workplace, according to Forbes GM has consistently scored highly in gender equity reports; in 2018, it was one of only two global businesses that have no gender pay gap.

Sonia Syngal, CEO of GAP

Breaking barriers in gender and ethnicity, Sonia has steadily risen in leadership roles for Gap, Inc., which includes Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Gap. Since joining as CEO, she helped grow and modernize the company’s revenue and redefine its product portfolio. With a master’s degree in manufacturing engineering, and 15+ years of experience working in leadership roles with fortune 500 companies, Sonia is definitely setting a path forward, and a clear example of leadership for women, particularly women of color. 

Lori Caden, COO, and Co-Founder of Belly Bandit

Lori Caden empowers women and mothers constantly through the two companies she co-founded, Belly Bandit and Proof. In 2008, she launched Belly Bandit alongside her two sisters, with the first Originally Belly Wrap, to support and empower mothers to feel their best postpartum. In 2020, the sister-preneurs were on a mission to empower not only mothers, but all women, and so they launched the leakproof underwear line, Proof. Lori and her sisters prioritize givebacks through their two companies, and often partner with nonprofits that support women. They also launched Shades of Pink Foundation to provide financial assistance to women who are experiencing financial distress as a result of a breast cancer diagnosis

Taraji P. Henson, Executive Director and Founder of Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation

Taraji is best known as a successful actress from shows like Empire, or the film Hidden Figures. She launched the nonprofit Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in honor of and to combat mental illness and its stigma in 2003 after her father died from cancer. Mental health is a cause that Taraji is passionate about and felt driven to address, based on her own personal experiences, and her father’s struggles with his own mental health as a US veteran. The foundation isn’t the only entrepreneurial venture or accomplishment in Taraji’s portfolio, and we’re excited to see where her path leads next.

Cassie Nielsen (Burr), Executive Director and Cofounder of Women on Boards Project

Launched with the goal of placing women on company boards, cassie’s organization and mission directly connect with and empower women to be and seek leadership roles within and outside of their places of employment. According to Entrepreneur, Cassie, an executive at VMG, believes that women’s voices are necessary in these settings because the products being developed are neglecting the real needs of women since they are not in the room, and 70-80 percent of purchasing decisions are made by women. You can read more about the Women on Boards Project, and leadership team from Forbes, here.

Learn more about the women-owned brands we support at GSPR. Interested in partnering with us? We’d love to chat with you!