How can Women in Project Management Break the Glass Ceiling?

Hi Yasmina,

that sounds like an interesting session!

I cannot say that I have encountered the "glass ceiling" in project management or any other domain that is linked to me being a woman...

However, there are those "CIS male meetings" where it helps to either simply ignore certain comments or react quite clear and professional.

What I see as essential asset is to combine project management expertise with operational expertise. People appreciate someone who "has already done it" on a practical side. Having worked in local operations, local R&D - anywhere apart from HQ - helps you being authentical with your experiences and genuinely involving your team members. It also gives you credibility.

I am looking forward to your feedback on the presentation and the feedback from the audience...!

This topic resonates deeply with me, and I’m thrilled to see it taking center stage at the Global Summit. As a Senior Project Manager and Transformation Leader who has spent over a decade driving change in traditionally male-dominated industries like IT, supply chain, and operations, I’ve seen firsthand how both structural and cultural barriers impact women—especially women of color—on the path to leadership.

One key question I’d love your session to explore:
How can organizations move beyond mentorship to true sponsorship of women project leaders—especially those innovating at the intersection of transformation and tech?

Also, I’m curious about how we can better equip male allies with actionable behaviors to advocate for and amplify diverse female voices in project leadership settings. I’ve led several PMO transformation initiatives where allyship made the difference between resistance and real results.

Looking forward to the insights you and Laura will share in Barcelona—this kind of dialogue is exactly what we need to shatter the ceiling, not just tap it.

This is such an interesting topic and having read both Svenja and Casey's comments their experiences confirm to me once again that building a successful career in Project Management as a woman will depend on 3 major things:

The organization we work for: Like Casey I work at a Healthcare Organization, in my case, in the Middle East so you know it already comes with its share of cultural male dominance and acceptable behaviours such as tagging women as too passionate or emotional, to say the least. I had a GM once tell me things were less complicated when women were taking care of their men (true story ladies). However, my manager (a man) has been fundamental in my success because he has not shoulder me from it, and the times I have complaint instead of trying to subdue my annoyance has told me to face it and has had my back. Instead of protecting me as if I was fragile or a kid, he has just let me do my thing and supported me.

In short, be intentional on what truly matters when joining a company


Our willingness to get our hands dirty: As a PM we are not expected to know every detail, to be technical, to be SMEs. We drive, we structure, we align and we support. However, the best way I have found to do this and gain my team's respect is to actually do the job, ask the questions to understand before challenging and when possible taking on a different role so that I can comprehend the nature of the work being done. Like Svenja said, know operations, know the work and be willing to step out of your PM role to support your team.

Finding a champion, a sponsor or a mentor: when possible all three of them. Having a champion will help you move through the floor without even being present at times. A sponsor, will put you in rooms you may not have been for another ten years, can change the course of your career. And a mentor, should challenge you to see things a different way, find someone who will have no issues telling you where you lack skills but also lifts you up.

Looking forward to the event Yasmina