Interview with co-founder: “I do not think that we will make great leaders if we all just copy-paste the same way of getting there”
Maria Anker Andersen, co-founder of Female Leadership Academy, had a strong vision when starting the organization. Looking back on the nearly four-year journey from its inception, she is now sharing her thoughts on their ongoing goal of achieving a more inclusive representation of leaders.
What began as a promising idea in 2020 for Maria Anker Andersen and her co-founders has evolved into an organization with more than 45 volunteers hosting events for students and professionals, and a shared determination to challenge the status quo. As the new year dawns, Female Leadership Academy celebrates its fourth anniversary.
To mark this milestone, we have invited Maria Anker Andersen for an interview to discuss the development of Female Leadership Academy, her insights on leadership, and, most importantly, her vision for paving the way to a more diverse landscape in board rooms and top management.
The key ingredients for becoming a successful leader
The building blocks for creating Female Leadership Academy started when Maria Anker Andersen began to question the business world, she says. It was the absence of inspiring role models that particularly sparked her contemplation:
"When I looked around my surroundings, it was first and foremost the lack of people to mirror myself in. Simply put, there were few or no female role models I could look up to and draw inspiration from. I thought: Why do all leaders look alike? And why do we all need the same background and education to make it to leadership positions? I was missing more nuances, color, and room for individuality.”
To Maria Anker Andersen, it seemed that the traditional leadership archetype has been molded in a specific manner: possibly a few years in the military, financial education, and then several years of managerial education at a large consulting firm. But with a background in business administration and psychology, she didn't conform to this mold. At about that time, Maria began to have a clear idea of what Female Leadership Academy could contribute with:
"In a recent study McKinsey connected gender diversity to higher profitability, and BlackRock has just made headlines by showing how gender-balanced workforces outperforms least-balanced peers. It shows that diversity matters, and I am a firm believer that embracing diversity and including people with different backgrounds and life experiences creates better businesses and working environments. And I do not think we will create great leaders if we all just copy-paste the same path to get there. Therefore, Female Leadership Academy could be a space for women to express their ambitions and where they feel empowered to aim for the top positions. By combining leadership education with a network of like-minded individuals, we can contribute to finding a way to create new key ingredients for future leaders that can expand beyond the current norms," Maria Anker Andersen explains.
More than 250 supporters
"When we launched Female Leadership Academy, the response was incredibly positive. We already had Mia Wagner on board, and many people wanted to join us. At our very first official event, the room was packed, with more than 250 people attending. Looking back at it today, we were all thrilled and had not anticipated such strong support."
However, shortly after this promising start, institutions closed, gathering restrictions were imposed, and quarantine measures were initiated due to the first cases of COVID-19 in Denmark. The founders, like many others, faced a dilemma: either postpone events and risk losing momentum or make significant changes on short notice, risking that people might drop out. They chose the latter and have no regrets:
How is it going on the polished floors?
Almost four years have passed since Female Leadership Academy started. But has it succeeded in addressing the lack of diversity in management roles? Maria Anker Andersen responds:
“Female Leadership Academy equips women with tools to apply directly in their daily lives and careers. So, I remain hopeful! However, in Denmark, there are still very few female CEOs to look upon as role models, and the environment on the polished floors is still very masculine. This underlines the need for more work and reinforces our justification for existence.”
In a concluding remark, Maria Anker Andersen underlines:
“Female Leadership Academy is a space where people can express their professional dreams, where we share knowledge with each other and where we foster both personal and professional connections. These past four years are just the beginning - Female Leadership Academy will continue to work tirelessly in the pursuit of achieving equality and diversity in the broader society.”
