Women's Network 'Chief' Launches Enterprise Offering to Meaningfully Invest in Women Leaders

By: WE Staff | Wednesday, 25 January 2023

Chief, one of the foremost network of women executives, introduced Chief Enterprise for businesses looking to invest in their women leaders. The women’s network is launching Enterprise to answer the growing demand of companies that want to progress their gender diversity commitments by engaging, developing, and retaining their women executives.

"At a time when women leaders are leaving the workforce at a faster rate than ever before, it’s especially critical for businesses to recognize and reward talent in a way that feels meaningful," said Carolyn Childers, Co-Founder and CEO, Chief. "Studies have shown that women are more likely to stay with a company if the organization invests in their professional growth. These solutions do not always exist in the workplace.

We are excited to now have an enterprise offering that enables these companies to retain women leaders and ultimately help close the gender gap in their workforces."

A survey conducted of Chief members in December 2022 revealed that more than a third of women leaders considered resigning last year. In terms of factors that would make them stay, ‘feeling more valued at work’ was on the top of the list. This was followed by tangible manifestations of value: increased pay and a promotion.

Following a pilot in 2022, Chief’s current Enterprise partners include UnitedHealth Group, Morgan Stanley, One GI, and IBM.

"We are excited to empower and support women leaders from across UnitedHealth Group through Chief," said Joy Fitzgerald, Chief Diversity Officer of UnitedHealth Group. "One of our core DEI objectives is to increase the representation of women, and specifically women of color, at the most senior levels of leadership. The relationships built through Chief’s programming help our women employees excel at UnitedHealth Group, and advance the careers of their female peers around the globe."

Prior to the launch of Chief Enterprise, members could only join the network by applying on their own or being nominated by another member. Once accepted, a majority of members ask their companies to fund the membership cost which is primarily done through individual budgets. However, with Chief Enterprise, companies can proactively support their women leaders.

Chief will works directly with an Enterprise partner on their goals which could include meeting gender diversity targets in senior leadership. This helps identify the women leaders who would be the strongest match for the network.

All Chief members have access to the same services including core executive coaching in small, hyper-curated peer groups that members consider their personal board of advisors; Content, including workshops and conversations with business and cultural icons such as Melinda French Gates, IndraNooyi, Amal Clooney, and Michelle Obama; and Community, a private and vetted global network of over 20,000 executive leaders across the US and UK.