Inga Beale

"“I gave a clear instruction to my partner not to phone me in the office because I was so worried about my colleagues suspecting that I was having a relationship with a woman.”"

"“It’s good to have someone completely different to you to chat about things with.”"

"“I tried to be something I wasn’t. I behaved like a man.”"

"“People are a bit reluctant to reveal what is going on in their world. And others are nervous talking about it because they don’t know what to say and don’t want to look silly.”"

"“People don’t know who to trust any more. So, we’ve got to find another mechanism to include much bigger parts of the population, and use different metrics to measure success of a country.”"

"I got a lot of my strength and support not only from my family but also from women’s networks – a source of inspirational energy to keep going.”"

"“The golden rule is to keep communicating – 1. Communicate the business case; 2. Communicate it’s the right thing to do; 3. Communicate that you mean it."

"I have taken on several CEO roles in my life and some organisations have required a turnaround or a huge transformation. To have people focus on your leadership skills, your experience and the great things you have achieved, rather than the way you look or a small mistake you have made, would have made it much easier."

"“The PIE model is one that I totally buy into. It stands for Performance, Image and Exposure. These are the three elements that are essential for your career development."

"“Although it’s easier than it used to be for people to come out as LGBTQ+ at work, it’s still hard.”"

"I know it’s impacted people’s decisions about inviting me and my partner to events and it has made me feel uncomfortable meeting politicians representing countries where homosexuality is illegal."

"I chose to come out as bisexual just prior to starting at Lloyd’s of London so I know how it feels to be different. I am glad I have been honest because it had begun to feel like I was lying to the people around me."