WEQUAL
15.12.2020 16:19:11 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Eight businesswomen holding prominent executive roles in leading companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa have been named as winners in the annual WeQual Awards (www.wequal.com/awards ).
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201215005796/en/
WeQual identifies and recognises world-class women executives, one level below the group C-suite, and is designed to promote diversity and gender equality within the group executive committees of EMEA’s largest companies.
The eight winners were selected from a shortlist of 24 finalists. The successful award holders are employed in Aryzta, Bayer’s Consumer Health Division, Bureau Veritas, Fresenius Medical Care, Ooredoo Qatar, Sodexo, Standard Chartered Bank and Unilever.
Katie Litchfield, Founder and CEO of WeQual , says: “WeQual identifies already successful senior women who are qualified to be appointed to the group C-suite. Our mission is to tackle the slow progress in appointing diverse women to executive roles and highlight successes where they occur.
“The glass-ceiling concept has been an issue for decades, and the drop-off is steepest just below the group C-suite, so it is important to champion gender equality at the top.”
The awards come at an important time for women in business. The global Covid-19 pandemic is in danger of pushing back opportunities for women to be appointed to the most senior positions. “The fact that we are able to celebrate the achievements of these women in major companies at this time sets a shining example to others,” says Katie Litchfield.
The winners are:
− Bola Adesola : Senior Vice-Chairman, Africa, Standard Chartered Bank, Nigeria. Head of Region Category.
− Dr Cora Koppe-Stahrenberg : Executive Vice President, Global Head of Human Resources, Fresenius Medical Care, Germany. People Excellence Category .
− Munera AL-Dosari : Chief Strategy Officer, Ooredoo Qatar. Strategy Development Category .
− Patricia Amaro : Digital Hub and E-commerce Director, Unilever, Spain. Digital Impact Category .
− Patricia Corsi : Global Chief Marketing and Digital Officer, Bayer’s Consumer Health Division, Switzerland. Brand Innovation Category.
− Nathalie Pousin : Chief Financial Officer, France, Africa, GSIT, Bureau Veritas, France. Finance Category.
− Petra Melander : EMEA Account Director, Sodexo, Finland. Commercial Performance Category.
− Rebeca Navarro : Chief Transformation Officer for Europe and Head of Procurement, Aryzta, Switzerland. Transformational Leadership Category.
The 24 finalists were assessed against seven criteria: Leadership, Cognitive Ability, Integrity, Drive and Resilience, Equality, Knowledge of the Business, and Personal Development. All candidates were assessed blind with no name or company revealed in their application.
To choose the winners, eight executive interviewers held 30-minute interviews with the three finalists in each category before each choosing a category winner. The judges were:
− Sir Ian Cheshire, Chairman, Barclays UK
− Viswas Raghavan, CEO EMEA, J.P. Morgan
− Warren East, CEO, Rolls-Royce
− Dame Inga Beale, Chairperson, Mediclinic
− Chris O'Shea, CEO, Centrica
− Ron Kalifa OBE, Chairman, Network International
− Tamara Box, Managing Partner EME, Reed Smith LLP
− Tulsi Naidu, CEO, Zurich Insurance Company UK
All the 24 award finalists have been given access to a range of WeQual support services and networks designed to help them make the step up to the group executive level. A quarter of WeQual award winners in the UK and USA have since been promoted to the global executive committees of FTSE and Fortune 500 companies. There are now 96 senior women involved with WeQual globally.
(Ends)
Notes to editors
About WeQual
WeQual's mission is to make businesses more inclusive by identifying exceptional women executives and address the gender imbalance across the world's Group Executive Committees. Katie Litchfield, founder and CEO of WeQual Awards, devised the new platform which calls for women senior executives to build their case as to why they deserve to be appointed to the Group Executive Committee.
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wequal-awards
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeQualGlobal
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBpixTLeUsQVjwrivAP9-KA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeQualAwards
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wequalglobal
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201215005796/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Belkin Introduces Titan SmartShield Pro Collection for the New iPhone 18 Pro Lineup9.9.2026 21:00:00 CEST | Press release
New collection combines advanced Nano-Titan protection with options for crystal-clear viewing, enhanced screen privacy and blue-to-red light conversion Belkin, a leading consumer electronics brand for over 40 years, today introduced its new Titan SmartShield Pro collection, designed to protect and enhance the experience of the new iPhone 18 Pro lineup. The collection includes three distinct screen protectors – clear, Blue-to-Red and Bright Privacy – each combining advanced Nano-Titan Technology with premium anti-reflective properties, exceptional scratch resistance and up to 9 feet of impact protection.* This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260909094720/en/ Belkin Titan SmartShield Pro Blue-to-Red Light screen protector As smartphones become increasingly central to how people work, travel and connect, the Titan SmartShield Pro collection goes beyond traditional screen protection to address the different ways consum
PPAI Releases Landmark Study Showing Branded Merchandise Supports a $472 Billion Global Economic Footprint9.9.2026 19:24:00 CEST | Press release
First-of-its-kind Oxford Economics study reveals annual spending, jobs and tax contributions Branded merchandise connects brands and people every day, but its impact extends well beyond the products consumers wear, use, receive or purchase. A landmark study commissioned by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) provides the first comprehensive look at the global economic ecosystem behind branded merchandise. Conducted by independent global advisory firm Oxford Economics, the Branded Merchandise Global Market Report measures the industry end to end, from manufacturing and decoration to distribution, retail, e-commerce, fulfillment, marketing and brand activation. Key findings: $338.3 billion was spent on branded merchandise globally in 2025. The industry supported $472.3 billion in global GDP. Branded merchandise supported 11.9 million jobs worldwide. The sector supported $141.3 billion in global tax revenues – roughly the same as the entire Swiss federal budget. “For yea
Vindral Named Recipient of 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award9.9.2026 18:38:00 CEST | Press release
Swedish real-time video company recognised alongside the world's leading media companies for frame-accurate remote production technology Vindral, the Swedish company building future-ready technology for real-time audio and video, has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). Vindral is recognised in the category Web-Based Frame-Accurate Remote Monitoring Systems for Distributed Broadcast Production. The co-recipients in the category are SipRadius, NBCUniversal, Grass Valley, CBS Sports, Disney, Game Creek and Amazon. The awards will be presented on October 14 at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center in North Hollywood, California, where Vindral will be represented by CEO Daniel Alinder and Ian Jefferson. The Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award is one of the U.S. television industry's most prestigious recognitions of technical achievement, previously awarded to companies including Apple, So
Elliptic Intelligence Used by the USSS to Take Action Against Xinbi, the $30 Billion Criminal Marketplace and Money Laundering Operation9.9.2026 18:36:00 CEST | Press release
Elliptic, the global leader in risk intelligence for on-chain finance, today confirmed that it provided the intelligence used by the United States Secret Service in action taken today against the Xinbi marketplace. The U.S. Secret Service froze wallets belonging to the marketplace and its merchants, containing $52.8 million in cryptoassets linked to Xinbi marketplace. Elliptic provided the data and intelligence that no other provider could. The data was extracted from Elliptic’s Data Fabric Solutions into the USSS' systems, giving investigators the one hundred thousand-foot view, connecting on-chain and off-chain data to paint a full picture of illicit activity rather than a snapshot in one screen of data. Data Fabric provides access to the same blockchain data and intelligence set behind Elliptic’s solutions, and that Elliptic’s own intelligence team used to expose both Huione and Xinbi before anyone else. Since beginning operations in 2022, Xinbi Guarantee and its merchants have proc
HOF Capital Completes €1 Billion Acquisition of Porsche’s Stakes in Bugatti Rimac and Rimac Group9.9.2026 18:00:00 CEST | Press release
HOF Capital today announced the completion of its acquisition of Porsche’s equity interests in Bugatti Rimac and Rimac Group through an HOF-led consortium. The transaction, first announced in April 2026, closed following the satisfaction of all conditions, including regulatory clearances. Porsche’s combined interests were valued at approximately €1 billion. HOF Capital originated and led the transaction, assembling a consortium of institutional investors from the United States and Europe. Following completion of the transaction, HOF holds a 23.5% stake and becomes the largest shareholder in Rimac Group, which holds the 55% controlling interest in Bugatti Rimac. HOF and its consortium also acquired Porsche’s direct 45% interest in Bugatti Rimac. As part of the investment, HOF Capital holds three supervisory board seats across Rimac Group and Bugatti Rimac. Hisham Elhaddad, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of HOF Capital, has joined the Supervisory Boards of both Bugatti Rimac and Rimac G
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom