I struggle to say no (I am working on this!)

2025 International Day Women's Day series with Louise Allen, CEO, GK Strategy

Noureen Ahmed, Louise Allen, Emma Petela and Annabelle Black

What do you love about your role?

Having the opportunity to make our business fairer and seeing the impact this has on our team is the best part of my role. Our partnership with a I Have a Voice, Pro Bono work on issues such as educational opportunities for all, menopause and domestic abuse shows the difference that we can make using the skills the team have. I will always be a political geek so getting in the weeds of emerging regulatory landscapes and M&A advisory will always keep me happy. 

How do you balance work and life?

I struggle to say no (I am working on this!) which means I take on a few extracurriculur acivities from chairing the PTA to watercolour painting classes! GK has a strong culture of balance and a focus on outcomes of excellent work and counsel not face time. I try to set some bounderies for time with my children / partner and put the phone down.  Very much a work in progress when you fill your life with things you enjoy doing. 

How do you continue to invest in your professional and personal development?

Continuing to learn has always been a priority to me. You don't know what you don't know and I firmly believe we need to invest in the team's development. Over the past years, I've undertaken an Oxford Business School Strategy Course, Mini-MBA, Trained as  First Aider and read a plethora of management, science, arts and political books. I've also been supported by some amazing mentors who push my thinking. 

How are you using your position / voice to #AccelerateAction towards gender equality?

Pioneering ethical leadership is core to my role as CEO at GK. I am a doer and that means with colleagues driving internal policy reform, pro bono work, creating our own culture, standards and expectations and putting in place guardrails such as our staff council and diversity council to keep us accountable. We were the first to partner with I Have a Voice and have been working with sector colleagues to create a toolkit to support wider progress on DEI