Supporting female talent and employing women in senior positions is not just a matter of equality. As we pointed out in our post on female empowerment, according to McKinsey & Company’s 2023 ‘Diversity Wins’ report, companies with greater gender diversity in their executive teams are 39% more likely to perform better financially.

The evidence is clear: Attracting and retaining female talent has become a strategic decision for business growth and competitiveness. Proper management of female talent within an organization’s structure will have a social and economic impact, but what are the best practices to achieve it? In this article, we look at five ways to boost the role of women in companies and the benefits they can bring.

One of the most important is training and education. Including an MBA, a Masters in Management MSc or Esade’s Bachelor in Social Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation, for example, in the development plans of women in the team will contribute to empowering female talent and increasing access to leadership positions.

Why is it important to boost female talent in companies?

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2024 estimates that, given the current pace of progress on equality, it will take 131 years to fully close the gender gap globally. In this context, organizations have the opportunity and responsibility to lead change and accelerate the process.

To this end, the management of female talent must go beyond formal equality policies. The organizational structures, processes, and cultures that still perpetuate biases today must be reviewed.

The benefits are many and diverse.

The benefits of having female talent in companies

Attracting female talent to strategic positions in the company brings great competitive advantages and tangible benefits. Among them are:

  • Improved profitability: A study carried out by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2023 indicated that companies with greater gender parity increase their profits by between 5% and 20%.
  • Greater capacity for innovation: The inclusion of female voices favors creativity and helps with the resolution of complex problems. According to a study by the Boston Consulting Group, companies with diverse teams generate up to 19% more revenue from innovation.
  • Attracting talent and corporate reputation: Younger generations value working in inclusive and responsible environments. According to a study by LinkedIn (2021), 78% of millennials consider a diverse work environment to be an important factor when evaluating job offers. In addition, according to a report by Monster Hiring Resources (2021), 83% of Gen Z-ers consider a company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion to be crucial when choosing a workplace.
  • Access to market and purchasing decision insights: Women influence between 70% and 80% of all purchasing decisions globally, according to data from NielsenIQ (2024) and Forbes. This ability to influence them makes them a strategic asset: Having female talent allows companies to better understand consumer patterns and design more relevant value propositions.
The image shows a woman standing at a podium, presenting to an audience in what appears to be a conference room or lecture hall. With a laptop on the podium and the audience engaged, this scene highlights the importance of women in spaces of education, leadership, and professional visibility.

5 ways to improve female talent recruitment

To truly boost female talent in organizations, plans must be backed by genuine commitment. Avoiding the risk of “diversity washing” (superficial diversity initiatives without real change) is key. Below are five ways to help build environments where women can develop their talent, lead and promote business growth:

#1 Promote equal opportunities in recruitment processes

According to a study, 78% of recruiters admit to making decisions influenced by unconscious biases (Psicosmart, 2023). To promote equal opportunities and avoid bias in recruitment processes, it is important that companies are committed to:

  • Using inclusive language in offers.
  • Implementing blind hiring processes (anonymous evaluations).
  • Guaranteeing the presence of women in final shortlists.
  • Training recruitment teams in unconscious bias detection.

#2 Encourage the presence of female talent in senior management and leadership positions

To attract female talent to strategic positions, it is not enough to open up vacancies. An environment that identifies, promotes, and retains women with high potential must be created. Priority practices include:

  • Setting diversity goals in key senior management positions.
  • Measuring the progress of these objectives through annual KPIs.
  • Implementing inclusive succession plans, ensuring that women are considered in strategic replacement processes from the early stages.
  • Designing structured mentoring and sponsorship programs that connect women with role models, allies, and visibility opportunities.

#3 Establish a discrimination-free environment

A discrimination-free environment doesn’t just protect people: It also drives engagement, innovation, and organizational performance. Guaranteeing safe and inclusive spaces is essential to attracting and retaining female talent in a sustainable way. To achieve this, it is key to:

  • Implement active anti-harassment and anti-discrimination protocols.
  • Conduct work environment surveys with a gender focus to detect invisible barriers.
  • Establish secure and confidential channels for reporting and managing incidents, discrimination, comparative grievances, biases, inequalities, etc.
  • Review informal culture: Language, everyday biases, and unrecognized burdens that have an unequal impact.

#4 Promote the visibility of female talent

What is not seen is not valued or promoted. Visibility is key to breaking glass ceilings and accelerating the presence of women in decision-making spaces. Giving prominence to female talent, both inside and outside the organization, contributes to generating role models, inspiring other women, and normalizing equality at all levels. This visibility must be made commonplace by:

  • Highlighting women’s achievements and contributions in meetings, internal communication channels, and corporate culture.
  • Organizing events and panels in which women participate equally, making their leadership and experience visible.
  • Including female role models in external communication campaigns and in dialogue with stakeholders.
  • Promoting internal networks and professional communities of women, encouraging mutual support and cross-departmental collaboration, and generating initiatives that give visibility to women’s talent at all company levels.

In this sense, programs such as the Esade Women Initiative offer accompaniment, training, and support networks for women leaders and women who are about to take on positions of responsibility.

#5 Facilitate continuous training

Continuous training is a key lever for professional development. Ensuring equal access to learning and growth opportunities is essential to empowering female talent in a sustainable way. Companies should:

  • Ensure women have access to training and education programs at every stage of their careers.
  • Promote the development of their digital, strategic, and leadership skills, which are essential to maintaining an up-to-date profile and successfully taking on positions of responsibility.
  • Commit to training and education with a gender perspective, which recognizes the specific barriers women face, gives them tools to overcome them, and strengthens their confidence and professional ambitions.
The image shows four women gathered around a table, actively collaborating in a professional setting. One holds a tablet, another a cup, and the table is scattered with notebooks, papers, and a mobile phone—elements that reflect a dynamic work environment. This scene illustrates spaces where women share ideas, lead projects, and develop their potential.

How can Esade help you boost female talent in your company?

At Esade, companies find the prestigious business school they need to promote and support female talent in their teams. Our top-ranked portfolio of programs help women to access decision-making spaces, lead with impact, and transform organizations from within:

Esade programs specializing in female talent

Programs for every career stage

We also offer world-class education programs for every career stage:

At Esade, we know that change is possible when equality becomes a strategic priority and investment is made in forward-thinking female leadership. Ask us and we will help you find the most suitable program to promote female talent in your company.