WeQual Identifies EMEA Women Executives with C-suite Potential

WeQual Awards has shortlisted 24 ‘exceptional’ women executives in the EMEA region who are ready for the C-suite.

All 24 women executives have been recognised for their outstanding contribution to business, from some of the biggest companies in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, by WeQual; an organisation committed to tackling the slow progress in appointing women to executive positions.

Since its creation, more than 35% of the winners of previous WeQual Awards in the UK, EMEA, APAC and the Americas have already been promoted to the executive committees of major global companies. The 24 WeQuals, all one level below Group ExCo or Group C-Suite leader, automatically become members of the WeQual Club. They join the 144 senior executives already enrolled. The EMEA regional winners for each category will be announced in January 2022.

2021 EMEA FINALISTS

The 24 WeQual finalists for EMEA 2021, by category, include:

Technology Category 

• Cecile Bartenieff, COO of Global Banking & Investors Solutions and Global Head of Technology & Operations, Société Générale. 
• Patricia Beau, Chief Technology Officer Lead / Partner For Consumer Healthcare, Sanofi. 
• Miruna Senciuc, CEO, Romanian Branch, BNP Paribas Personal Finance.

Brand Category 

• Mia Claselius, Vice President, Head of Communications, ABB Electrification, ABB Ltd. 
• Noémie Ellezam, Group Chief Digital Strategy Officer, Société Générale. 
• Anjana Srinivasan, Chief Operating Officer – HSBC Global Marketing, HSBC Holdings plc.

Transformation Category 

• Naina Bhattacharya, Chief Information Security Officer, Danone. 
• Christiane Lindenschmidt, Chief Digital and Data Officer, Markets and Securities Services, HSBC Holdings Plc. 
• Chafika Chettaoui, Group Chief Data Officer, Suez.

Commercial Category 

• Anne O’Leary, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Ireland, Vodafone Group Plc. 
• Filipa Martins, Managing Director/CEO, Portugal, Edenred. 
• Mieke De Schepper, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Asia-Pacific, Amadeus IT Group.

Finance Category 

• Anna Dimitrova, Chief Financial Officer and Strategy Director of Vodafone Germany 
• Daria Dodonova, Chief Financial Officer, Magyar Telekom, Deutsche Telekom. 
• Camila Japur, CFO Emerging Businesses, Ericsson.

Business Development Category 

• Arancha Cordero, Chief Growth Officer Waters, Danone. 
• Susan Uthayakumar, President, Sustainability Business Division, Schneider Electric. 
• Bettina Möckel, Vice President Corporate Business Development, QIAGEN.

Procurement & Supply Chain Category 

• Sigrid Brendel, Head of Global Procurement, CPO, Campari Group. 
• Jessica Nordlinder, Chief Procurement Officer, Essity. 
• Francesca Gamboni, Senior Vice President Global Supply Chain Groupe Stellantis, Stellantis.

People & Culture Category 

• Audra Jenkins, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Randstad North America. 
• Cecilia Hallengren, Senior Vice President, People and Culture, Volvo Group Trucks Technology, Volvo Group. 
• Tina Mylon, SVP, Talent and Diversity, Schneider Electric.

PATH TO THE C-SUITE

Check out the eight exceptional executive women in the Asia-Pacific region named as the winners of this year’s APAC WeQual Awards here. And you can read more about Wequal’s Americas award winners by clicking here.

The path to C-suite roles for women takes longer and is stymied by societal expectations, unconscious bias and legacy gender roles, according to a recent survey. Click here to read more about the roadblocks women face on their way to the top.