Our Story
Leading Executives Advancing Diversity
Our evolution
2011
Desire for Change
Our journey began back in 2011 when our Co-founder, Mick Broekhof, was inspired by what he saw the Network of Executive Women doing in the USA. With a strong sense that Europe needed to follow suit, he reached out to 13 executive women in his network. Based on their shared desire to see gender-balanced leadership across the European CPG and Retail industry; the wheels were then set in motion. Mick and Co-founder Helayne Angelus established LEAD Network as a non-profit foundation based in the Netherlands.
2014
Europe’s Fastest Growing DEI Organisation
Sharon Jeske was swiftly appointed as LEAD Network’s first ever employee and Executive Director. Under Sharon’s leadership, LEAD Network became Europe’s largest and fastest-growing organisation dedicated to gender diversity. Members relished the opportunity to connect, learn and share practices on how to drive inclusion.
Simultaneously, LEAD Network began to lead the charge on strategic industry-wide drivers for change such as the introduction of the LEAD Network Gender Diversity Scorecard, CEO Gender Parity Pledge, and CEO Roundtables.
2023
A New Era
After 10 successful years at the helm, Sharon retired. January 2023 marked the start of an exciting new era, as LEAD Network warmly welcomed Allyson Zimmermann as the new CEO.
Building on strong foundations, Allyson brought a wealth of insight from her previous role as Executive Director for Catalyst’s operations in Europe, Middle East & Africa, where she worked with leading global organisations to support the development of more inclusive workplaces.
Allyson’s arrival coincided with yet another exciting period of growth for LEAD Network. A sharp focus on the evolving needs of our Members and Partners stimulated an expansion of core offerings and increased expertise within the central team. This period was also characterised by further developments and inspirational gains in organisational leadership, management, governance and advocacy.
Present
Our united vision
Supercharged by the actions of our 22K+ Members across 13 countries, the support of our 65+ corporate Partners and 400+ Volunteers; it is a truly remarkable collective powering progress.
Together, we’re united in #DoingNotTrying to create an industry where all genders can thrive.
A rooted belief in #DoingNotTrying
The future we see
Our Vision
A diverse and equitable workforce where everyone can contribute and grow, and where organisations thrive.
Our active commitment
Our Mission
To attract, retain and advance all women in the retail and consumer goods industry, creating sustainable business value.
Our Values
By the Members, for the Members
Our Members and Partners are at the heart of everything we do. United in the journey towards a gender-equitable industry, we collaborate, grow, and succeed together.
Doing, not trying
As a movement of passionate and curious advocates, we experiment, challenge the status quo and commit to action. We measure progress, share learning, and make an impact.
Cultivating safe spaces
We invite dynamic exchanges of ideas, and welcome varied and opposing viewpoints. We create an open, supportive environment where all the voices of our community are respected and valued.
Why this matters, now more than ever
Our latest study found our collective efforts are moving the needle towards a more gender-balanced C-Suite, but the rate of progress is extremely slow and we know we can accelerate our efforts.
How we’re rising to the challenge
We believe what we do makes us who we are, and as a collective, we take action together to take greater strides towards more diverse talent pools.