The Women’s Business Council (WBC) was set up in 2012 to advise Government on how women’s contribution to growth can be optimised. The aim has been to focus on areas with the greatest potential economic benefit and on recommendations with a clear economic case for action. The WBC published the ‘Maximising women’s contribution to future economic growth’ report in June 2013. The Council was relaunched in 2019, to focus on the sectors that have the most significant gender pay gaps and to drive forward progress to improve women’s representation within the workplace. The Council is a government-backed, business-led initiative which reports to the Minister for Women and Equalities.

The Council’s objectives are to:

• help develop and implement tailored actions to tackle the gender pay gap in target sectors

• take a national role in sharing good practice

• advise government on the issues facing priority sectors, future changes to the Gender Pay Gap regulations and barriers to women’s economic participation

• work in partnership across the business community on specific issues, and

• encourage local initiatives to drive action to tackle the gender pay gap at a local or regional level.

Mary has been a member of the WBC since 2018 and has responsibility for leading the work on SMEs, as well as representing the UK at the G20 EMPOWER Alliance, to improve women's progression in the workplace across G20 countries.

https://www.womensbusinesscouncil.co.uk/

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