The Creative Class

Over the past decade, women’s representation has increased at every level of corporate management. Most notably, women today make up 29 percent of C-suite positions, compared with just 17 percent in 2015. But progress has been much slower earlier in the pipeline, at the entry and manager levels. However, the corporate pipeline is not as healthy as the numbers suggest. Women remain underrepresented across the pipeline, a gender gap that persists regardless of race and ethnicity. Simply put, men outnumber women at every level. What’s more, women continue to face barriers at the beginning of the pipeline. They remain less likely than men to be hired into entry-level roles, which leaves them underrepresented from the start. Then, women are far less likely than men to attain their very first promotion to a manager role—a situation that’s not improving. In 2018, for every 100 men who received their first promotion to manager in 2018, 79 women were promoted; this year, just 81 women were. Because of this “broken rung” in the corporate ladder, men significantly outnumber women at the manager level, making it incredibly difficult for companies to support sustained progress at more senior levels. This phenomenon is even worse for women of colour, who represent only 7 percent of current C-suite positions—just a four-percentage-point increase since 2017. The ‘broken rung’ remains a significant barrier to women’s advancement, especially for women of colour. For every 100 men promoted to manager, 89 White women were promoted in 2024. Asian women have experienced the greatest improvements in the broken rung but encounter significant hurdles later in the pipeline. Women have made modest but meaningful gains at the vice president and senior-vice-president levels since 2018, but their progress is more fragile than it appears. The main driver of women’s increased representation was a reduction […]

11 strategies are highlighted as crucial to reach up to 80% reduction in emissions, with integrated energy management playing a more substantial role than classic retrofits. The World Economic Forum has released a report proposing a $1.8 trillion global market opportunity through the decarbonisation of buildings by 2030. The report identifies 11 strategies to reduce building emissions by 80%, emphasising the crucial role of advanced technologies, including integrated energy management. “It was only a matter of time until we see AI-driven platforms highlighted in the most influential reports. They enable real-time optimization of building energy systems, managing data from thousands of sensors to ensure peak efficiency,” said Donatas Karčiauskas, CEO of Exergio, a leading company in the Baltics that focuses on AI-based building energy performance solutions. “This approach aligns perfectly with the WEF’s strategies, facilitating significant emission reductions and operational improvements.” The report identifies integrated energy management as a critical strategy for achieving a collective 80% reduction in emissions. For the first time, it was placed as more important than insulation or traditional renovations. Owners and investors are now encouraged to invest in digitalisation to capture operational-cost savings, architects and engineers are urged to deploy energy management systems, and utilities and operators are advised to provide technology and services to generate new revenue streams and build synergy with renewable development. “As energy performance platform providers, we know that investing in digitalisation and AI-based solutions is not just about cutting costs anymore; it’s about unlocking new revenue streams and creating long-term value,” Karčiauskas emphasized. “Achieving up to 20% in energy savings is a common practice for us, however, we also see increased user satisfaction in the buildings whose energy performance is controlled using AI solutions.” Alongside integrated energy management, key strategies highlighted in the report include upgrading heating and cooling systems, […]