4 Highly Rated Women CEOs in the UK (2016)

Today, Glassdoor announced our 2016 Employees’ Choice Awards for the 25 Highest Rated CEOs[1] in 2016, according to UK employees. Of the 25 Highest Rated CEOs in the UK this year, the vast majority (24) are men, while the only woman CEO to make this year’s list at number ten is Rosaleen Blair, CEO of Alexander Mann Solutions with a 96% approval rating. For comparison, the average CEO approval rating on Glassdoor is 68%, based on the approximate 540,000 companies featured. However, there are other women CEOs in the UK who receive high ratings from employees on Glassdoor but fall just outside this year’s top 25. So what makes Blair and other top rated female CEOs stand out and deserve an honourable mention? Let’s take a look at just four of them to see how they stand out among employees: Rosaleen Blair, CEO of Alexander Mann Solution – 96% approval Rosaleen Blair is the CEO and Founder of Alexander Mann Solutions, the world’s leading provider of talent acquisition and management services. She set up the business in 1996 and now employs 3,000 people, operates in more than 80 countries and reported profits of almost £28 million in 2014. Here’s what employees have to say about how Blair and her senior management team are leading the company; “Senior leadership are open and receptive to views, regardless of where you sit and at what level.”     - Alexander Mann Solutions Lead Sourcing Specialist, London “You've improved greatly and are very honest, receptive, and reward good work.” - Alexander Mann Solutions Resource Specialist, Bracknell Carolyn McCall, CEO of easyJet – 90% approval[2] Dame Carolyn McCall took up the role of CEO at easyJet in 2010 and has since led the budget airline from strength to strength. Annual pre-tax profits have surged from £154 million in 2010 to a whopping £686 million last year. This has caused a share price surge, more than quadrupling from 430p to £16.01 moving the airline into the FTSE 100. McCall is also highly regarded by her team with a 90% approval rating on Glassdoor, well above the average CEO approval rating on Glassdoor. Here’s what employees have to say about McCall and her senior management team; “General staff morale is good in the office, people are friendly in the corridors etc. Inspirational CEO.” – easyJet Finance Manager, Luton “Keep setting the vision, keep in touch, keep passionate.” – easyJet Employee, Luton Debbie Robinson, CEO of SPAR – 85% approval Debbie Robinson, another notable female business leader, has been Managing Director of retailer SPAR in the UK since 2011. Debbie has over 20 years of experience in the retail and convenience sector having previously worked with companies such as JJB Sports and the Co-operative Group Limited where she established the ‘good with food’ campaign. SPAR is now the world’s largest food retail chain with 12,322 stories in 34 countries and a turnover of £3bn+. Scoring an 85% Glassdoor CEO approval rating over the past year, it seems her team is right behind her. Here’s what employees have to say about how Robinson and her senior management team leads the company; “Keep doing what you’re doing.” – SPAR Assistant, location n/a “To be honest I think the management are really good. They handle their staff well, making sure they are happy in their work and they are great with customers.” – SPAR Cashier and Stocker, Barnstable Dido Harding, CEO of TalkTalk Group – 76% approval Dido Harding, Baroness Harding of Winscombe, is also a highly successful UK business leader, taking the role of CEO for the TalkTalk Group in 2010. Previously a board member at Sainsbury’s and Tesco and a Managing Director at Thomas Cook and a graduate from Harvard Business School, this industry heavy weight has occupied some notable positions. Here’s what employees say about how Dido Harding is leading the company; “Dido is an amazing CEO and a true leader. Very friendly and approachable.” – TalkTalk Employee, location n/a “Stick to what you’re doing, it’s working.” – TalkTalk Network Engineer, Manchester Do you love your job and think your CEO should be recognised? Share a review. Reviews submitted during the next 12 months will be considered for Glassdoor’s 2017 Employees’ Choice Awards. [1] Employees’ Choice Award winners for the 2016 Highest Rated CEOs list are determined using Glassdoor’s proprietary algorithm, taking into account the quantity and consistency of Glassdoor-approved company reviews shared by UK-based employees between 2 May, 2015 and 1 May, 2016. See our full awards methodology [2] McCall did not meet the 2016 methodology of receiving at least 25 reviews from UK-based employees in the past year, so she was not eligible to make the list. For this blog post, her 90% approval rating is based on 88 reviews shared by employees on Glassdoor as of 6 June, 2016.