My CEO Is a Woman

Whether it’s the empathetic component, the determination, or perhaps the ability to see beyond the stereotype of “always having to prove you’re the strongest.” Working with a woman in command can revolutionize corporate culture and the way we experience work. Personal experience, as HR Director with two female CEOs. Bettina Wuerth and Laura de Toni. Two experiences that made me realize how much there is still to learn about leadership and the gender gap.

My Personal Experience

The first time a female CEO offered me a job, I was seven months pregnant. Usually, those hiring are concerned about the “problems” that an expectant mother might bring (what if productivity drops?). Yet she, very candidly, told me: “You’re pregnant, not sick!” A phrase worth more than a thousand reassuring “politically correct” statements. It was an invitation to prove in the field that competencies matter more than anything else.

The second time, my compensation was a disruptive gesture. I had made a request that, compared to my male colleagues, was rather modest. Perhaps I feared I didn’t deserve more. Instead, my CEO responded: “Why do women always ask for less?” And without too much rhetoric, she exceeded the figure I had proposed. The message was crystal clear: talent should not have a ceiling. Especially not a ceiling you impose on yourself.

10 Reasons for Female Leadership

In a professional journey with CEOs who were mostly men, I realized that—at least in my case—female CEOs brought a different energy. Here are my 10 reasons why I prefer working with a woman at the top:

1. Challenge directly & caring personally: they tell you what doesn’t work without too many filters, but they also know how to listen to you.
2. Focus on results: less internal politics, more substance and clear objectives.
3. Concrete empathy: the meeting with your child’s teacher isn’t a problem: she too has stepped away from a board meeting for hers.
4. Breaking down formalities: no rigidity at all costs. If you need a tracksuit on a 13-hour flight, a tracksuit is fine.
5. Respect for work-life balance: no one schedules a meeting at 7 PM because SHE also has to prepare dinner.
6. Recognition + Boundaries: they tell you “Well done, now that’s enough: close everything and go to your child.”
7. Determination: for a man, a determined peer has guts; a woman is aggressive.
8. Empathy as strength: for a man “it’s psychologist stuff.” A female CEO knows it’s a corporate superpower.
9. Equality (even in sports fandom): soccer? A female CEO can talk about it as well as (or better than) a male colleague (and I still don’t understand it).
10. The courage to change: a male CEO promises it, a female CEO delivers it completely.

Why It Makes a Difference

This list, obviously, is not exhaustive and doesn’t mean that women are always like this or men never are. But from these experiences I learned that female leadership can open new spaces of authenticity and professional growth, overcoming taboos that hinder performance and undermine well-being. And, let’s face it, when someone believes in you more than you believe in yourself, you understand that’s the right place to be.

One Final Reflection…

If I look back, during the periods when I worked with a female CEO, I never thought about updating my CV to look around. It may be a coincidence, but I always felt I could give my best and receive maximum support.

To Bettina and Laura, with Respect

Tatiana

And you, what do you think? Have you had similar or different experiences? Share them, because it’s from these stories that the greatest changes are fueled, one CEO at a time (or rather, one female CEO at a time).