The 21st century ‘is no longer a place for the macho boss’

Caroline Webb, a partner at McKinsey & Company, stressed the importance of collaboration in the workplace when she addressed 500 entrepreneurs at the Women’s Business Forum, which was held yesterday at Rudding Park, near Harrogate.

Ms Webb, who helped to develop economic institutions in Eastern Europe when she worked at the Bank of England in the 1990s, told the Yorkshire Post: “The style of leadership needed for the future is different from the heroic, macho style of the past. It’s a type of leadership which is more about getting the best out of yourself and other people.

“It’s about finding a very clear sense of personal purpose that sees you through the ups and downs. It’s a style of leadership which is about operating within a web of relationships rather than a clear simple hierarchy. What we’re seeing is that many women have the attributes and natural strengths that make them great leaders for this future environment.”

The forum, which had the theme ‘It’s Time To Make a Difference’, highlighted the lack of women in senior management roles.

Earlier this year, the Davies Report called for firms to more than double the number of women on their boards by 2015, or face Government measures. A report from the Cranfield School of Management found that women made up 12.5 per cent of directors of FTSE 100 companies in 2010.

Heather Jackson, founder of the Women’s Business Forum, said: “Lord Davies said it was going to take 70 years to get a gender balance on boards. My goal is to achieve that in one tenth of that time.”

Chris Sullivan, chief executive of the corporate banking division at the Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “Maximising the untapped capability of the female workforce is likely to be the most powerful, sustainable positive stimulus in the modern business environment.”

Other speakers included Allan Leighton, who is chairman of Saltaire-based set top box maker Pace, and Tim Solso, the chief executive of global manufacturing firm Cummins.