"HAVING WOMEN IN VISIBLE ROLES ENSURES THEIR VOICES SHAPE DECISION-MAKING"

With over 25 years in public service, Dame Theresa Villiers DBE has held senior roles in both Westminster and the European Parliament.

- Theresa Villiers

She is best known for her tenure as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, where she managed crises and defended the Good Friday institutions. Her career has been defined by clarity, resilience, and diplomatic skill. As a former Cabinet Minister, Villiers has overseen critical portfolios including Environment, Transport, and Northern Ireland. She played a leading role in projects such as Crossrail, delivered legislation like the Environment Act, and helped guide the UK through the London 2012 Olympics. Her expertise bridges security, governance, and sustainable development.

In this exclusive interview with The Champions Speakers Agency, Villiers reflects on sustainability, regulatory reform, cyber threats, and crisis leadership. She shares her perspectives on how businesses and governments can adapt to global challenges while building resilience for the future.

How can greater visibility of women in senior roles strengthen governance and decision-making?

Dame Theresa Villiers: I think diversity in a board or in your overall leadership team is just a crucial part of competitiveness. Having women in leadership positions sends a real signal that businesses are interested in the perspective of their women customers, their women investors.

And representation does matter. Women make up half the population and they want to know that their concerns are listened to, their perspective is part of the decision-making in our great businesses in the UK. You can't really do that unless you have women in visible, prominent positions.

Also, in terms of motivating the workforce, every business will have high-performing women involved in their workforce, and keeping them is important. One of the ways to do that is to make sure that they see women role models at senior levels in the business.