IWD 2025 - an interview with: Anna Chokina

Tell us a little about your career journey leading to where you are now.

I am a C-suite FMCG executive with 20+ years of general management, commercial and marketing experience in top consumer goods companies. I started my career in Procter&Gamble and was lucky to gain international experience having worked in UK, USA, and Eastern Europe. After a long career in large consumer goods companies, I transitioned into SME taking the role of Chief Executive Officer at a beauty and wellness start-up Cellular Goods. After an exit in 2022 I continued to work in the SME sector along side PE and VC funds helping their portfolio companies with the growth objectives. Currently, I serve as Exec Chair on a board of Halo Hair Group, a fast growing beauty services business.

What does the International Women’s Day slogan “accelerate action” mean for you?

Gender diversity is such an obvious and much talked about area of DEI, yet it’s the one where we stagnated, if not regressed post pandemic. There are research findings showing that the number of female CEOs or Board members went down in 2023 in many industries, from what was an already low base (in 2023 only 6.5% of CEOs were women[1]). And this is despite the recent EU directive requiring large companies to get to 33% of women on Boards by 2026. In fact, at the current rate of change, the world’s leading stock indices won’t see the same number of men and women in CEO seats until the next century.[2] Just think about it: gender equality at CEO level won't be achieved until THE NEXT CENTURY! So not even when my daughter is adult, or when her daughter is adult. 

We must accelerate.

How important is diversity across senior leadership teams? 

It is very important not only from the business stand point (it is proven that more diverse teams – not just in gender but across age, experience, race etc – deliver better business results), but also from the organisational health stand point. Young employees look up to senior leaders and it’s important that there is significant female representation at executive levels.

Plus, how are we ever to increase the number of female CEOs if there is no female bench at the CEO-1/CEO-2 etc levels?

As a successful leader, how do you think (business) leaders can accelerate action toward closing the gender gap and ensuring equal opportunities in the workplace?

I have been part of many initiatives across various businesses to tackle the gender diversity gap. There is one company that stands out in this respect – Procter&Gamble UK&IRE. Back in 2010-2013 the company identified that, despite hiring equal numbers of men and women at entry level, there were only 33% of females at managerial level (and hence even fewer at Director level). Digging deeper into the reasons, the company identified this had to do with the life stage transition that many women went through during this time – starting families and having kids. By changing company policies to meet the needs of young moms, including:

• Making high profile roles available at 3 days/week or 4 days/week basis,
• Paying for emergency nanny services,
• Building baby nursing/milk dispensing rooms in the office,
• Role modelling at Director level successful women who came back from their maternity leaves in high-flying roles on part-time basis, etc

 - P&G succeeded at getting the ratio of female/male at managerial level to 51%/49% within 5 years.

I believe the key reason this program was so successful is because it eliminated barriers for women to successfully return back to the workplace. Not many other companies really went through the trouble of tackling the issues vs just raising awareness. Not surprisingly, their results are not as impressive.

Can you share your top tips for entrepreneurial/managerial/leadership success?

I recommend being open to life’s opportunities. I remember being so fixated on getting promoted in the early years of my career, that I missed some of the broadening roles, which would have enriched my experience and possibly opened new doors. Up is not the only way to build a career and, in fact, it’s not always more interesting professionally at the top!

Have there been any role models through your life (work or professional) who have helped shape you as a leader?

Yes, I was lucky to be inspired by many strong female leaders who paved the way for my career. Many of them are from my time at P&G, including Geraldine Huse, Alessandra Dolfini, Roisin Donnelly, Cecile Budge, and Indra Nui of PepsiCo.

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[1] Spencer Stuart's "2023 CEO Transitions in Europe" report. 

[2] Russell Reynolds Associates research 2024: https://www.russellreynolds.com/en/insights/articles/ceo-turnover-insights