Entrepreneurial Insights Drive Conversations at In the Lead EMEA 2025
May 8, 2025
Goldman Sachs convened a community of women thought leaders and entrepreneurs for In the Lead in London. Throughout the day, women at the top of their fields shared their insights and perspectives. Below are several key takeaways from the event.
Starting a New Venture
If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, the gaps in your own life and the lives of the people around you can be an effective entry point. These gaps often reveal demand for a new product. “I think the most important thing that we've ever done is listen to what women say and what women talk about,” says Michelle Kennedy, founder and CEO of Peanut, one of the fastest-growing social networking apps for women.
Beyond the gaps in your life, your passions can also be the spark to drive a new venture — built upon your existing network of connections and experiences. That’s the case for Katherine Jenkins, founder, Cygnet 22 Gin and the best-selling female classical artist of all time, who said she “wanted [my company] to be true to the values that I hold and the things that I practice in everyday life.”
The journey to success from the spark of entrepreneurial spirit can be a winding road. For anyone just starting out, Dr. Barbara Sturm, founder, Dr. Barbara Sturm Molecular Cosmetics, stressed to remember that growth can be a gradual process, and you cannot plan to flourish immediately. Her advice was to start with a great idea or product, be willing to take risks, believe in that idea or product, and ensure 24/7 dedication.
Leading and Growing Your Business
As a business grows and innovates, Sturm stressed the importance of staying focused on the needs of your target audience. She didn’t set out to create a world-renowned brand—her focus was always on supporting her patients and that helped steer her company toward the innovations it needed to make. For Dr. Sturm, innovation isn’t about attending conferences—it requires hands-on work with the practitioners (scientists in her case) who are pushing toward the newest and latest technologies.
While innovation is an important driver of growth, there are also times when the right solution is to not develop a brand new approach. Ekaterina Malevskaia MD, co-founder, Compass Pathways, encourages leaders to take stock of research in their field and work that has been done—and try to build on it with a fresh perspective. She spoke about how the answer may already partially exist, but the right mechanisms are needed to make the change happen.
Setting and maintaining a positive workplace culture is also key to a successful business. Kristina Blahnik, CEO, Monolo Blahnik, defines personal success as being happy, and she believes the workplace culture sets the tone for her and her team. She emphasized the importance of creating a safe space where your team can express their vulnerability and support each other through struggles. “There is no day that goes by without either a micro moment of vulnerability or a macro moment of vulnerability. And being able to express that in a safe space with a team that is there to catch you if you fall, and being there to catch others if they're struggling,” Blahnik shared.
Once a business is ready for the next phase of growth, Dr. Sturm suggested founders keep an open mind about their role. She recently sold the majority stake in her business to help it grow and get to the next level. “It’s like your baby, and you think you need to hold on to your baby forever, but at one point you need to let the kid go to kindergarten or to school. And you need the help of very experienced and bigger corporations,” says Dr. Sturm.
Leaning on experience is also key for leaders in the current uncertain geopolitical environment. In a rapidly shifting landscape for defense spending, tariffs, and international relations across the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia, Bronwen Maddox, director and chief executive of Chatham House, believes “companies have an advantage” over governments because of their agility and clarity of purpose. Maddox stressed that “in any kind of uncertainty there are opportunities.”
Making an Impact Outside Your Business
Strong advocates and role models have the ability to empower exponential change for both women and society as a whole.
Reema Juffali, Saudi Arabia’s first female professional racing driver, began her journey before woman could obtain a driver’s license in her home country. She stressed how the women role models in her family gave her the foundation to make an impact. “They were very strong characters, strong women who made me always feel like if I wanted a place, I needed to have a voice,” said Juffali. “They really bred this idea of how to carry yourself, how to engage with other people, and how to hold space for other people at the same time. That played a very big role when I took the next step into the unknown of racing.”
As Juffali’s career progressed, she was able to overcome obstacles by finding a community of “like-minded people” who would help her forge new paths and become a role model for the next generation. “Something that has really motivated me to keep going is sharing my stories, hearing from other people, and basically breaking the stereotype and making sure that another young girl who is 12 years old can have many more possibilities than I did when I was growing up,” said Juffali.
Building a community is equally important when seeking to make a philanthropic impact. Lady Edwina Grosvenor, founder and chair, One Small Thing, suggests seeking out mentors and other female philanthropists if you are interested in getting involved in philanthropy but don’t know where to start. Grosvenor shared how experienced professionals can help you determine where and how to focus your efforts. For her, the decision was very personal. “I cannot extrapolate myself and my personality from what I do and how I give,” she said.
Across Grosvenor’s decades of advocating “a lot of the issues have not changed,” but impactful strategies have risen to the surface over time. She cautioned against falling into “analysis paralysis” from all the evidence and research available in a field. At her organization Hope Street, an alternative residential facility in the criminal justice system for women and their children, they use data to identify problems, prove the efficacy of solutions, and build consensus around the best path forward. The organization commissioned independent, data-based research to prove that their method is the most effective way to help women and families have a better life. They are working to create an “ecosystem” with the local community, local governments, and local philanthropists to sustain and proliferate the change.
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