Introducing, Eleanor Baker, Women Entrepreneur Lead at Lloyds, our Manufacturing Champion for August. Eleanor leads Lloyds’ initiative to support women-owned businesses. In our Q&A, she discusses how to accelerate gender parity and highlights the importance of inclusive hiring.
Eleanor has worked at Lloyds Banking Group for over 12 years, in a range of roles, supporting businesses across multiple sectors, helping them to achieve their strategic ambitions. In Eleanor’s role leading Lloyds’ initiative to support women-owned businesses, her focus has been on regional impact and supporting sectors such as manufacturing.
Throughout her career, Eleanor has helped to highlight the global gender gap and has championed women in roles where biases persist and female representation is lacking. The Global Gender Report 2025[1] revealed the closing of the global gender gap to be 68.8%. While a slight improvement on 2024 (68.5%), at the current trajectory, it could take 123 years. Eleanor shares her insights on the subject:
Given that it may take 123 years to achieve gender parity, what steps must we take to accelerate this?
I think intentional change is needed. 123 years is based on current trends so if we just keep going at the same pace, or worse, hit setbacks, it could take even longer. Gender parity isn’t a ‘women’s issue’; it’s a societal one. Diverse teams consistently perform better. They make smarter, more profitable decisions, so this is about building better businesses.
However, to get there, we have to ask ourselves some tough questions. Like, do we want our daughters to grow up with the same opportunities as our sons? And, do we want our sons to be free from the confines of outdated gender roles? If the answer is yes, we have to take bold, sustained action, such as education, challenging stereotypes, inclusive hiring, supporting work life balance and investment.
What can individual manufacturers do to reverse biases and create fairer career opportunities for women?
I hear myself saying this a lot, but imagery and visibility really matters. Review your imagery. Help the next generation of manufacturers see that the industry is for them – all of them. Representation sends a powerful message.
But it’s not just about the visuals. Companies should make sure that they look at how they hire and support people. That means using inclusive language in job descriptions, considering flexible working options, and making sure there’s a clear path for career growth to support attraction and retention. This also means reviewing who is responsible for recruitment in your team, who makes the shortlist and how you build your pipeline of talent by making your business the place where people want to work and thrive.
What advice do you have for women considering careers in manufacturing?
I’d say go for it! There’s so much more to manufacturing than people think.
Naturally, people think of factories (and modern factories are a great place to work) but there is engineering, design, supply chain, robotics and sustainability and more! It’s a broad, exciting field with lots of different paths – explore your opportunities!
Build your network; I have met so many amazing people in the industry and they are all there to support, give advice, guidance and open doors for you. Problem-solving, collaboration, attention to detail, leadership… all these skills are in-demand, and manufacturers who want to attract talent are realising that they have a larger talent pool to draw from if they focus on inclusive hiring.
Keep learning – whether it’s through an apprenticeship, a course, or just picking up a new skill on the job, there’s no age limit on learning. The more you invest in yourself, the more doors you’ll open.
[1]www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2025/
