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The Rise of Women in Finance: 9 Lessons from the United Kingdom

The Rise of Women in Finance: 9 Lessons from the United Kingdom

By Blossom Ukoha For decades, women have been an important part of the financial services workforce, yet their presence has not always translated into equal access to senior leadership. The United Kingdom offers a compelling case study of what can happen when gender representation becomes a measurable business priority. Over the past decade, voluntary targets, public reporting and sustained institutional pressure have helped move more women into senior roles. But the progress is measured rather than complete. The latest HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter Annual Review, published in March 2026, and the FTSE Women Leaders Review 2026 show both the gains achieved and the gaps that remain. Here are nine lessons from the UK experience. Voluntary Targets Can Deliver Steady Progress The Women in Finance Charter, launched in 2016, has demonstrated that voluntary commitments can produce measurable results when they are backed by transparency and accountability. According to HM…

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Featured

Angélique Kidjo Makes History with Hollywood Walk of Fame Star: The Journey Behind a Historic Moment

Angélique Kidjo Makes History with Hollywood Walk of Fame Star: The Journey Behind a Historic Moment

By Blossom Ukoha “It’s not just my star, it’s our star.” — Angélique Kidjo There are some honours that recognise an individual, and then there are moments that seem to carry the hopes, history and identity of an entire continent. For Angélique Kidjo, the five-time Grammy-winning Beninese singer, songwriter and humanitarian, her Hollywood Walk of Fame star is both. On 18 August 2026, Kidjo became the first African artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the 2,854th star unveiled in the Recording category at 7011 Hollywood Boulevard. The historic recognition marked another extraordinary milestone in a career spanning more than four decades. But the significance of that star cannot be understood by looking only at the ceremony. It begins much earlier, with a young girl growing up in Cotonou, Benin, in a household where creativity was part of everyday life. Before the Global Spotlight, There…

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Featured

Are African Institutions Ready for Women at the Top?

Are African Institutions Ready for Women at the Top?

Blossom Ukoha A woman can sit in parliament, earn a university degree, build a successful career and still find that the final door to power is the hardest one to open. Across Africa, women are increasingly visible in politics, business and public institutions, yet their presence often declines sharply as they move closer to the highest levels of decision-making. The picture is therefore neither one of failure nor of full progress. African institutions are becoming more ready for women at the top, but they are not there yet. The numbers tell a complicated story. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), women held 27.1% of parliamentary seats in Sub-Saharan Africa as of January 2026, almost identical to the global figure of 27.5%. East Africa leads the region at 32.0%, followed by Southern Africa at 30.9%, while West Africa stands at only 19.2%. The regional average, however, hides extraordinary differences between countries.…

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Featured

Women, Technology and the Future of a Smarter Mine

Women, Technology and the Future of a Smarter Mine

For generations, mining has been defined by physical strength, heavy machinery and demanding work in remote and underground environments. That image has influenced not only how mining is perceived, but also who is encouraged to pursue a career in the sector. Yet the industry is changing. Automation, artificial intelligence, remote operations, robotics and data analytics are creating a new mining environment in which technical expertise and digital skills are becoming just as important as physical strength. For women, this transformation could open doors to roles that were once difficult to access. As Alex Atkins, a Mining and Geotechnical Engineer and Non-Executive Director, observed: “Digital transformation is going to enable the greater inclusion of women and to give them more choice over how they can keep working in the industry once they have families.” Her observation points to a much bigger shift. The question is no longer whether women can work…

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Amazons on Boards

Ifeyinwa Osime: The Woman Who Rose Through Purpose, Perseverance and Leadership

By Blossom Ukoha Some leadership journeys begin with a title. Others begin long before anyone is watching, in classrooms, courtrooms, committee rooms and the quiet decisions that gradually build a reputation. For Mrs. Ifeyinwa Osime, the journey to the chairmanship of Access Bank Plc was not an overnight ascent. It was decades in the making: a journey through law, insurance, corporate governance and board leadership that ultimately placed her at the helm of one of Africa’s major financial institutions. In January 2026, Osime was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of Access Bank Plc, succeeding Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN, who retired after completing his regulatory tenure. Her elevation marked another significant moment for women in Nigerian financial services, but perhaps more importantly, it represented the culmination of a woman who had spent years quietly preparing for the opportunity to lead. As Group Chairman of Access Holdings, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, CFR,…

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UN Day

International Youth Day 2026: Her Future, Her Voice, Her Power

International Youth Day 2026: Her Future, Her Voice, Her Power

By Blossom Ukoha A young woman in Lagos building a small online business from her phone, a student in Nairobi pursuing engineering against all odds, a girl in rural India fighting every day to remain in school, and a young innovator in Seoul developing new digital solutions may live in vastly different environments. Geography, culture, income levels, and access to opportunity shape their realities. Yet beneath these differences lies a powerful shared truth: they all dream of learning, working, being heard, leading, and building a better future for themselves and their communities. International Youth Day 2026: A Call to Action This shared ambition is at the heart of International Youth Day 2026, observed on 12 August under the theme “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.” For Amazons Watch Magazine, this year’s theme is more than a global slogan, it is a call to action. It is an opportunity to spotlight young women…

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Women in Stem

The Women Powering South Korea’s Next Technology Revolution

The Women Powering South Korea’s Next Technology Revolution

By Blossom Ukoha In Seoul, the future of technology is being built in places that look very different from one another: inside a global internet platform, a messaging ecosystem used by millions, an AI research laboratory, a venture capital firm backing AI native startups, a university lab working on explainable artificial intelligence, and the software division of one of the world’s largest automakers. What connects these spaces is increasingly the presence of women shaping what comes next. South Korea is already a global technology powerhouse, known for semiconductors, electronics, automobiles, telecommunications and increasingly artificial intelligence. Yet women remain underrepresented at the highest levels of the technology economy. Against that backdrop, a group of Korean women are occupying influential positions across platforms, AI research, digital transformation, entrepreneurship and investment. Their stories demonstrate that technology leadership is no longer confined to engineering laboratories or semiconductor factories. It increasingly encompasses the platforms people…

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