Why Diverse Leadership Makes Smarter Companies

In a time of ethical complexity and rapid innovation, diversity at the top isn’t a virtue signal — it’s a safeguard for the future.

When ThetaRay announced our new Advisory Board, I felt both pride and reflection. It marked real progress, not just for our company, but for the industry we’re helping to shape. It also took me back to some of the earliest moments in my own journey in tech, where I first saw what resilience, quiet confidence, and persistence truly look like. 

More than a decade has passed since then. And yes, the industry has changed. But it hasn’t changed enough.

That’s why I believe we have to be intentional in how we build leadership. I was proud to welcome Alison Rose to our Advisory Board, joining Ilan Kaufthal and Marshall Lux.  Alison brings not only deep expertise as the former CEO of NatWest, but a remarkable track record of action— most notably through the Rose Review, which has driven measurable progress in supporting women entrepreneurs and promoting diversity in business. She exemplifies how leadership can turn aspiration into accountability, especially in shaping a more inclusive tech industry. 

But let’s be clear: this isn’t about celebrating a single appointment. It’s about shifting a mindset in an industry that still rewards sameness at the top — while innovation, by definition, demands difference.

The data speaks. so should we.

I work in AI. I hire for it. I help shape the culture that builds it. And I can tell you with certainty: there’s no such thing as neutral technology. Every system reflects the assumptions and blind spots of its creators. And if leadership teams — advisory boards, C-suites, decision-makers — look alike, think alike, and come from similar paths, we’re setting ourselves up for failure.

This isn’t a feminist argument. It’s a business one.

McKinsey’s 2020 Diversity Wins Report found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity in leadership were 39% more likely to outperform their peers. Deloitte reports that inclusive cultures are six times more likely to be innovative. And the Rose Review itself quantified the economic opportunity of gender parity in entrepreneurship at £250 billion for the UK alone.

And yet, fewer than 1 in 5 tech leadership roles are held by women globally. And fewer still sit on advisory boards or venture panels that guide billions in investment.

So yes, the numbers matter. But so does the lived experience behind them.

It’s time to move past tokenism

Too often, I see companies point to a single appointment — one woman on a board, one head of DEI — and claim victory. But diversity doesn’t scale that way. You don’t unlock its value with symbolism. You unlock it with structure: hiring processes that mitigate bias, leadership tracks that don’t reward burnout masquerading as ambition, feedback systems that elevate dissent instead of silencing it.

At ThetaRay, we’ve been actively working to build an inclusive culture and we know that work is ongoing.  Bringing Alison onto our Advisory Board reflects both our  values and a strategic commitment to learning from leaders who drive real change. Her experience, particularly through initiatives like the Rose Review, offers invaluable insight into how to develop and support women in tech at scale.

Alison knows what it means to lead under scrutiny— and how regulation and trust are intertwined. She understands the weight of gatekeeping access to capital, especially for  underrepresented groups. And she’ll challenge us to think beyond the traditional boundaries of our industry. It’s powerful when advisory boards go beyond guidance to help widen the lens and spark deeper, more meaningful conversations.

The stakes are higher in AI

We are entering an era where artificial intelligence will influence everything from who gets a mortgage to which financial crimes get detected and which go unseen. In this kind of high-stakes landscape, leadership diversity isn’t a PR play. It’s a safeguard.

When the people at the table bring diverse experiences and views, conversations become more nuanced — and decisions become more thoughtful, balanced, and resilient. In the age of explainable AI and ESG accountability,  that’s not just forward-thinking. It’s smart business.

Building power structures that reflect today’s workforce

This moment demands more from HR than culture decks and inclusion panels. It demands that we act as architects — not just of who gets hired, but of how power circulates. Who gets heard. Who gets promoted. Who sits in the rooms where direction gets decided.

As HR leaders in tech, we must do more than applaud when women take a seat at the table. We must build tables where that’s no longer the exception.

The companies that do this best won’t just be more diverse. They’ll be more future-proof.