Leadership was the focus of this week’s Women In Enterprise Event.

This week’s Women in Enterprise (WIE) breakfast meeting, kindly hosted and sponsored by ISOLAS, gathered over 30 professionals to explore leadership – what it means, how it’s done, and how we can support each other in doing it well.

Our panellists – Hayley Xerri (HR Director, ISOLAS), Marlene Dalli (HMGoG’s Mentorship for Women Programme), Louise Carreras (Director of Legal, GFSC), and Michaela Rees (Chair of the GFSB’s WIE Committee) – offered their perspectives on leadership in their organisations and in Gibraltar more broadly.

Key takeaways included:

• Set expectations and boundaries early to avoid conflict down the line.
• Build trust by giving honest feedback, setting a clear vision, and listening to others.
• Leadership doesn’t look the same for everyone – and that’s a good thing.
• Strong leaders help others grow, which means stepping back and letting people make mistakes.

Attendees heard that leadership styles vary widely – and that’s not a bad thing. Many panellists highlighted the need to set clear expectations, offer honest feedback, and make space for others to grow. Building trust and listening well were recurring themes.

Breakfast and coffee were available on arrival, and attendees were encouraged to bring refreshments into the session. While many had to leave promptly afterwards, there was interest in continuing the conversation, and the WIE team is exploring future formats to enable more peer discussion..

Thanks to all who joined us and shared their thoughts and experiences. Missed it? Keep an eye out for our next WIE event – we’d love to see you there.