We’ve all heard the soundbites – gender pay equality is 135 years away*; more men named James, Bob or Bill lead S&P 500 companies than women of any name, in the UK Andrew and John outnumber women CEOs in FTSE350 companies**; women in Ireland are four times more likely to be CFOs or HR directors than CEOs, women occupy just 2 per cent of chairperson roles***.

Meanwhile, an OECD report showed that closing the gender gap in labour market participation could add 10% to OECD GDP.**** And yet there are many men (and some women) who believe gender equality in the workplace is a zero-sum game. For example, if women are to win, men must lose. Men often feel disengaged from the inequality problem too because issues relating to gender do not concern them. Further, when men do generally get involved, it is to ‘fix’ the problem by encouraging women to behave in the same way that men do in the workplace.

The MASF Sponsorship program aims to tackle this issue. It recognizes that Sponsorship is not about talking to me, it is talking about me. It is the key to unlocking the main obstacle to women’s’ career success – a lack of exposure. 

​Exposure is the key recipe to career success and sponsorship provides the ingredients. The fundamental aims of this intense and interactive 12-month long program are to unlock potential; gain a wider and more senior audience for the sponsee and to drive sponsorship accountability.

This program will equip the female executives with the additional learning, skills and most importantly, exposure, to be ready for the next challenge. In parallel, the sponsor will gain a trusted and confidential support in his/her sponsoree and a deeper understanding of the challenges and operations in an area not under their direct remit Once through the program, the sponsor-sponsoree tandem is encouraged to continue beyond the scheduled 12 months in a more informal fashion. The sponsorees themselves can now as Ambassadors and role models for the program going forward to ensure a sustainable roll-out.

* World Economic Forum: Global Gender Gap Report 2025.
** INvolve September 2025
*** Irish Times article published October 2026.
**** OECD report - Gender equality and economic growth March 2024