When I stepped out of 30+ years in corporate, it hit me: my leadership growth — and the growth of those around me — was never just about hard work or talent. It was about who saw I was ready, who advocated for me, who created critical opportunities that paved my way into senior executive roles. 

That’s sponsorship.

Yet, it’s one of the biggest, untapped levers for inclusive leadership today.

Women experience 50% less sponsorship compared to their peers. Even less for women of colour, the LGBTQIA+ community, people from different socio-economic backgrounds and so on. This “Sponsorship Gap” means a major loss and attrition of talent for companies, especially at senior levels where Board expectations and ESG regulation demand clear progress.

And leaders who actively sponsor are up to 40% more likely to advance. Why? Because by seeing and championing hidden talent, they build stronger, more innovative teams — and deliver greater value back to the business. 

They become better leaders.

As an Advisor, Speaker and Coach, I help companies build sponsorship behaviours and mindsets into leadership development, succession planning and career decisions. My distinction-awarded INSEAD research and international client work reveal unique strategies to embed sponsorship — beyond mentoring, beyond “classic programmes” — as a core leadership competence that creates measurable change in inclusion and leadership pipelines.

👉 Learn more about my signature diagnosis, initiatives, workshops and talks: www.helentubb.com

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