Would you say that female leadership is different from male leadership?

Fleur Thomas. - "Leadership depends on the behaviours of people, and not necessarily on their gender. I have worked in heavily male dominated environments as a female leader, and felt that I probably had a greater understanding of the importance of managing a team with greater compassion and understanding of family circumstances than some male counterparts. But I don't think this is exclusive. Women are generally felt to be less keen on public speaking than men, but for me that has never been the case. So it really feels more individual for me than gender-based. As a female leader, I do choose to draw attention to issues of equality in all its forms, as I think it is important that everyone can be their authentic self, this is one of the key values we defend within the FCDO workplace and across the world.

What could we do in order to inspire more women to become leaders?

"We can inspire confidence, and existing women leaders can actively promote themselves so they have greater visibility just as a group of us have done for the Paperjam 10x6. Role models can be important as if you see strong and effective women leaders, you can believe that it is an option for you. Personally, I think that mentoring can be really valuable. I am currently mentor to a number of young women across UK Government departments, with a particular focus on a UK Government Catapult mentoring scheme, which is focused upon those from low socio-economic groups. Mentors have a responsibility to listen, and to inspire their mentees to be their best self through regular mentoring sessions. Job shadowing opportunities can also enable young women to fully appreciate the options before them, and to instil a greater sense of confidence and self-belief.

Are you in favour of gender quotas for management?

"I wish that I lived in an ideal world where issues such as lack of women on boards or the gender pay gap were not issues. Then we wouldn't need quotas and all genders and backgrounds would be represented. However we know that at present this is often far from the truth. It IS getting better, but too slowly, and we have a long way to go before we will have reached a healthy balance of representation. The risk for me with quotas is that women that reach certain positions whilst quotas are in place might not be recognised for their true accomplishments and may be brushed off by men as quota hires. I really dislike the idea of colleagues or counterparts thinking that I didn't really deserve to be in the position I have achieved."