Last week, Eastleigh MP Mims Davies - the 380th woman ever to be elected to Parliament - took to the stage as the keynote speaker at this year’s Women’s Leadership Conference.
The event was organised by the Women’s Leadership Network, which works to inspire stronger leadership by promoting gender equality. Membership based, the organisation aims to drive forward the gender equality agenda and support all underrepresented groups in management and governance in the sector.
Speaking at the event, Mims highlighted the progress that has already been made in politics, with a record 208 women elected to Parliament in this year’s General Election, making this Parliament the most diverse ever elected.
This was reflected by the Prime Minister, who broke from tradition by congratulating the Mother of the House Harriet Harman on her service to the House, having been first elected to the Commons some 35 years ago.
The Eastleigh MP then highlighted that away from politics women continue to be recognised for their excellence, with 26% of FTSE 100 company directors now being women, up from 13% in 2011, not a single all-male board, and women-led businesses injecting over £800 million a year into the economy.
Commenting afterwards, Mims said:
“I was delighted to be chosen as the keynote speaker at the Women’s Leadership Conference. I am proud of how far we as a country have come, and the steps that we continue to take to improve gender equality, and the Women’s Leadership Network plays an important role in achieving that parity.