At a time when DEI programmes are being eroded, it’s interesting to hear from Abigail Kenny, just newly appointed Director of Sales, Strategy and Operations at Hubspot. 

This is taken from an article, originally published in Business & Finance magazine vol. 60, annual review 2024. To read the latest issue, click here.

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Sarah Freeman spoke with Abigail Kenny while she was Head of Global Strategy and Analytics at Stripe. When asked whether her experience of leadership is different because she is a woman, Kenny acknowledges that the business landscape is still not the most level playing field. 

“In Ireland, it wasn’t until 1973 that the marriage ban in the Irish Civil Service and informally in the private sector was removed. So there are not many women like me, and more senior to me, compared to the amount of men that there are in senior leadership roles.”

She is, still, often the only woman in the room and references the ‘motherload’ that many women with children are familiar with, whereby the small details of family life fall to them to organise. 

“I do wonder how long it will take until we have a wholly female board or an entire leadership team of just women…We have a long way to go,” concedes Kenny, herself the mother of two young children.

Mentorship

“I was at a women’s leadership talk with Sheryl Sandberg and she spoke about how her first marriage break down was her biggest failure but that she was ok with it not working out because one of the most important decisions you can make as a woman who wants to have a partner and have kids, is who your partner is and that they help take the load.”

Kenny sent her a note, saying she’d just gone through the same circumstances. Sandberg invited her to meet and ultimately asked her to be part of the Lean-In programme. 

“I heard a stat that said it would be another hundred years before equality in the boardroom. I didn’t have a daughter at the time, but I thought of my nieces and all the young girls who would just keep hitting that glass ceiling and I felt this really needs to change.”

Kenny’s upbringing was also instrumental in crystallising the need for equality. 

I’m one of six kids and I have four older brothers. I never saw a difference, gender-wise, between us until much later on in my career. I came back from my first maternity leave and one of my male colleagues asked me, ‘how was my holiday?’. It was cruel because actually, coming to work was like a holiday.”

She experienced subtle but significantly different treatment on return from maternity leave, including exclusion from trips. 

“I wondered, why am I being written off the script when I’m still here and I can actually do this. So I really want to help break down some of these biases. 

It’s important to Kenny to continue this fight for equality. 

“If I’m in a room and I’m the only female sitting at the table, I’ll make it my job that there is a second woman involved the next time we come to that meeting.

Women are seeing the value of an equivalent ‘old boys club;. 

“Women are learning that muscle, over time, to  lift each other up and pull the next generation. Our power is our ability to make an impact. So for those of us who are in positional power, we should use it to the advantage of women coming up.”

Sponsorship

Her advice to younger women is to understand the difference between mentorship and sponsorship. 

“Sponsorship might be, I want you to help me get promoted. I want to get to the next level. Can you help me figure out what I need to do to get there and be very, you know, specific about it. Whereas mentorship is trying to figure out something that you need help with in terms of certain resources or supports around a challenge you might be facing.”

Kenny sponsors a wide variety of people and says it’s quite common for younger male colleagues to declare their interest in becoming a director in the space of three years and ask how they can achieve that. 

“Women aren’t as forthcoming about that. I really encourage women to have that voice.”