International Women’s Day 2025: The hidden skills women bring to leadership through DEI

There’s no doubt, men and women bring different attributes to the workplace.

Men have been found to be more comfortable taking financial risks than women, and more likely to show a competitive nature.

On the other hand, women are documented to be more collaborative with greater emotional intelligence.  

Although these stereotypical traits probably won’t come as a surprise, UNLEASH wanted to hear from members of the HR community, to discover skills that women bring that are often overlooked. 

To do so, we spoke exclusively to Faye Longhurst, Regional People Lead for Europe at Canva; Amy Cappellanti-Wolf, Chief People Officer at Dayforce; and Alice Burks, Director, People Success a Deel.

Canva: Women bring innovation

Leadership must reflects the diversity of its workforce, to fosters a culture where all employees feel valued, heard, and supported to succeed, according to graphic design platform Canva, which generated $2 billion in annual revenue.

Faye Longhurst, Regional People Lead for Europe at the business explains: “Gender-balanced leadership isn’t just about representation – it’s about shaping a workplace where inclusion, innovation, and equity thrive.

“Balanced leadership teams naturally cultivate environments of belonging, where different lived experiences shape decisions, policies, and cultural norms that benefit everyone.”

From a decision-making perspective, Longhurst notes that prioritizing diverse leadership leads to stronger, more equitable outcomes.

“A range of perspectives challenges biases, broadens thinking, and drives solutions that resonate across teams, customers, and communities,” she says.

This balance also helps embed structures that remove barriers – ensuring growth, recognition, and advancement aren’t dictated by traditional pathways but by impact and potential.”

Canva encourages its employees to see that belonging is built by design. Therefore, when gender equity is embedded at every level – especially in leadership – workplace culture transforms. 

“Teams become more engaged and innovative, and employees are empowered to push boundaries, knowing they are supported and valued,” she adds. “More inclusive leadership isn’t just an aspiration; it’s an imperative for building workplaces where everyone thrives.”

What’s more, Longhurst recognizes that today’s corporate culture is shaped by the rise of diverse leadership teams. However, the business impact of this goes way beyond equality and inclusion and has now driven a fundamental shift in how businesses operate and thrive.

She explains: “Ultimately when a leadership team is diverse, it brings together a wide range of viewpoints and creativity. Our data shows that 96% of business leaders think that creative ideas are essential to an organization’s long-term success and performance.

“With this in mind, it’s clear that fostering a diverse leadership team is crucial for driving innovation and achieving sustainable growth. 

“By embracing diverse perspectives, organizations put themselves in a better position to think creatively, adapt to changing market dynamics, anticipate customer needs, and navigate complex challenges as they arise.”

Dayforce: Women bring unique business acumen

For Dayforce’s Amy Cappellanti-Wolf, a key attribute that women leaders typically bring to the table more so than men, is their ability to foster a collaborative and empathetic style of leadership. 

This, in Cappellanti-Wolf’s belief, “helps build a real sense of belonging”.

“Having more women in leadership roles demonstrably transforms workplace culture and decision-making,” she explains. “Their collaborative and inclusive leadership style encourages open communication and active listening to diverse perspectives. 

“Women leaders bring unique business acumen, helping organizations solve critical business issues by leveraging their diverse perspectives.

Their ability to approach challenges with creativity, empathy, and strategic insight enables them to drive solutions that are more inclusive and impactful. 

“By bringing their voices to the table, women leaders create a more dynamic and innovative approach to addressing both immediate and long-term business needs.”

Additionally, Cappellanti-Wolf highlights that women leaders are often deeply committed to mentorship and helping others grow. 

Reflecting on her personal experience, Cappellanti-Wolf shares how she mentored high-potential women and worked with less-experienced employees and ERGs to guide them toward leadership roles. 

Although this directly benefits the individual, it also strengthens the entire organization’s talent pipeline, paving the way for a more diverse, inclusive leadership team. 

She adds: “Leaders should focus on fostering inclusive networks that provide robust support systems and ensure women have equal access to opportunities that drive growth, development, and training. 

“This requires a deep commitment to building a culture that celebrates successes, and equips teams with the resources, and support they need to thrive.”

Dayforce research also found that 69% of employees said that diversity is very or extremely important to company culture, with 75% who were unsatisfied at work attributing it to feeling undervalued by their employer.

“That strong culture is also part of what makes employees feel valued and engaged at work,” Cappellanti-Wolf concludes. “The representation and connection between employees and their workplace is a core part of any organization’s success. 

“It is the diversity of people and thoughts that brings the necessary creativity and innovation to outperform competitors in the long term.  

“Creating a more inclusive and equitable environment is the only way to truly empower women to bring their skills to the table, prioritizing the improvement of flexibility and accessibility.”

Deel: Women bring a pragmatic approach

“Having diversity within leadership is known to contribute to reducing and minimizing groupthink, which drives fresh approaches and perspectives to business problems,” Alice Burks, Director, People Success a Deel begins.

“This has the knock-on effect of improving culture as decisions impacting staff end up being more thoughtful and inclusive.”

Workplaces are finding that Gen Z is increasingly prioritizing having purpose through the work they do, influencing businesses to reflect their demands for inclusivity and diversity. 

Burks says: “The expression, ‘you can’t be what you can’t see,’ rings true in the workplace. 

“Providing junior women with role models they can see themselves in, can let them come together, learn from each other’s successes (and unique, shared challenges), and create meaningful conversations around career opportunities and progression.

“Representational leadership enables businesses to attract and retain fresh talent who want to see a path forward for themselves in an organization.

“Diverse perspectives lead to diverse solutions, ensuring problems can be tackled from a variety of angles based on a range of experiences and ideas.”

Burks also highlights that female entrepreneurs have a more pragmatic approach to business, with women being nearly three times as likely to collaborate with research institutions than male-led businesses, leading to a more balanced risk appetite in their business. 

For Burks, this shows a willingness to embrace new ideas can also drive forward innovative, and creative problem-solving. 

The majority of global consumer purchasing power is led by women – by having a female point of view helping make business decisions with the customer front of mind, it can be a real driver of growth,” she inputs. “It’s not just the right thing to do, it makes good business sense.”

But to encourage more women to step into these roles of seniority, Burks insists that more flexibility is needed, particularly as women are more likely to be taking on more caregiving responsibilities, for example, with younger children, family members with disabilities, or older parents. 

In fact, of the 5 million people providing unpaid care in England and Wales, 59% are female.

“Hybrid and flexible working practices increase retention rates in female workers,” Burks explains, “enabling businesses to support their staff in all stages of their careers. 

“Rigid attitudes towards working arrangements can lead to businesses losing their female talent.”