Guy Hayward, chief executive of Goodman Masson, was frustrated that the industry was losing talented women “who felt they didn’t have the ability to return to the workplace” after having children. “We waste this wonderful talent pool,” he told Recruiter. “And often, when they do return, they are not taken seriously. We have an obligation to look after our people.”

After research into what other businesses did, the answer appeared to be that very few firms within the recruitment sector had developed any formal programme for guiding women in business.

And so Goodman Masson’s Women in Leadership programme was born. Open to female senior consultants and above, the programme aims to identify future leaders, manage people’s careers, and create an environment for sharing knowledge and expertise. Devised in conjunction with divisional director Jayne Halperin, the programme is a series of 12 monthly modules, based on one of the few commercial programmes for women from Australia’s gender diversity company, Emberin. The current 17 staff members on the course are guided through the modules and, Halperin told Recruiter, they “can turn to me for advice any time”.

“In fact it’s an opportunity to communicate, as it draws women together from across the different divisions of the company,” she said, adding that there are a series of scheduled events, hosted by leading female business women, that will be open to every female employee at Goodman Masson. The first speaker will be Deborah Exell, director of executive resourcing, talent & development at Lloyds TSB, and is scheduled for August.

Women in Leadership launched at the beginning of July, and senior consultant Sarah-Jane Thompson said it was very inspirational. “Having attended the first module, it made you feel as if you could be the next CFO of any company,” she told Recruiter. “It’s empowering to think that if you haven’t got to where you want to go by the age of 30, you’re not a failure.”

It is also an incentive for those who haven’t reached the level to qualify to join. “I really want to be involved,” Nicole Wheeler, a consultant within banking operations, told Recruiter. “I saw how inspired they all were coming out of the first meeting and I’m chomping at the bit!”

Hayward and Halperin said that once the programme was up and running there are plans to take it to industry. “The exact structure is yet to be decided,” Hayward said.