Mentorship Isn’t a Perk – It’s the Key to Women in Leadership
Author: Victoria Gee, Chair and CEO Coach at Vistage
Progress on gender diversity in business has been visible at board level, but far less consistent within executive leadership. While more women are reaching non-executive positions, many organizations still struggle to build a pipeline that leads to sustained senior decision-making roles.
The gap is not one of ambition or capability. It is structural. Access to networks, sponsorship and early leadership opportunities continues to shape who progresses and who does not. For CEOs, the issue is no longer whether diversity matters, but whether the organization has the systems in place to deliver it.
In this piece, Victoria Gee, draws on her experience working with senior leaders to examine where those systems fall short — and what leaders can do to build stronger, more consistent pathways into executive roles.
Each year, International Women’s Day (IWD) and Women’s History Month offer an opportunity to reflect on the progress women have made in business leadership. This year’s theme, “Give to Gain,” is particularly relevant for supporting women’s growth into senior roles.
At its core, the topic recognizes something many experienced leaders already understand: when knowledge, experience and support are shared, both individuals and organizations benefit.
In my work coaching senior leaders and facilitating executive peer groups at Vistage, I see this principle play out regularly. Structured support helps women build confidence, expand their leadership voice, and prepare for senior roles that they can sustain over time.
According to the latest FTSE Women Leaders Review, women now hold more than 40% of board roles across the FTSE 350, a significant increase over the past decade. Yet representation at the very top remains uneven. While board diversity has improved, many organizations still lack the leadership pipelines needed to consistently move women into executive roles, CEO positions, and long-term decision-making authority.
The issue is rarely lack of capability or ambition. More often it reflects the structural barriers that shape how leadership opportunities are accessed.
One of the most common challenges women face is not a lack of ambition, but limited access to networks and sponsorship that influence career progression.
In many organizations, leadership pathways are shaped informally. Opportunities to lead major projects, influence strategy, or gain visibility with senior decision-makers often come through established networks. Talented individuals can be overlooked despite strong performance.
Leadership development often begins too late. By the time women are identified for senior leadership programs, the experiences that shape promotion decisions – strategic project exposure, access to influential advocates, and participation in leadership discussions – may already have been missed.
For many women in business, these structural dynamics create a confidence gap rooted less in capability than in opportunity. When talent is excluded from decision-making forums or strategic conversations, it limits chances to test thinking and develop the presence needed for senior roles.
How Leaders Can Remove Barriers for Women?
If organizations want to accelerate the advancement of women into senior leadership roles, mentorship and coaching must move away from simply hitting quotas and intentionally lean more heavily into the development of female talent.
1. Champion High-Potential Talent
One of the most effective ways to support female talent is through active sponsorship. This means going beyond advice or mentorship: advocating for women in your organization, recommending them for strategic projects, stretch assignments, and leadership roles where they can gain visibility and demonstrate capability.
From my experience at Vistage, women who have sponsors actively championing them are far more likely to step into executive roles and board-level opportunities. By making sponsorship a deliberate part of your leadership approach, you can directly influence both individual careers and the overall diversity of your leadership pipeline.
2. Create Opportunities For Better Visibility
Visibility is critical for progression. As a business leader, you can intentionally create experiences that allow women to lead high-impact projects, contribute to strategic decisions, and showcase their expertise. Structuring these opportunities ensures advancement is based on demonstrated capability rather than informal networks or chance exposure.
When organizations embed these experiences into development pathways, they strengthen leadership pipelines while building confidence and credibility in emerging female leaders. From my work at Vistage, I’ve seen how strategic exposure accelerates progression and produces measurable outcomes.
3, Turn Peer Support Into Organizational Strength
Finally, don’t underestimate the power of structured peer mentorship and coaching. Creating environments where women can share experience, test ideas, and gain insight from peers is one of the most effective ways to build leadership readiness.
At Vistage, the executive peer groups I facilitate allow leaders to support one another while gaining feedback and perspective in a safe, confidential environment. Organizations that invest in these programs see stronger retention of high-potential women, improved leadership readiness, and increased representation at executive and board levels. This is mentorship and coaching in action – truly reflecting the “Give to Gain” principle – focused on building collective leadership capability rather than individual advancement alone.
Increasing representation in senior leadership requires more than intention. Organizations must embed mentorship, sponsorship, and peer learning into leadership infrastructure rather than treating them as optional. When leaders actively share knowledge and support development, the organization benefits: stronger internal pipelines, higher retention of high-potential women, and increased representation at executive and board levels. This is mentorship and coaching in action – giving to gain in practice – and it builds the diverse, resilient leadership teams organizations need to thrive.
