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From the Newsdesk

ACID’s Series of Influential Women in Design – Minnie Moll, CEO of The Design Council

Minnie Moll has been CEO of the Design Council since 2021. She has engineered and led the Design Council’s initiative for Design for Planet mission, set up to be an agent for change and addressing the climate crisis. Minnie has a First Class Degree in Creative Arts and is a qualified Transformational Coach specialising in supporting women. Her accolades in leadership roles are many, including ‘Vistage UK Business Leader of the Year in 2020’, appointed by HRH Prince Charles as his Ambassador for Responsible Business in the East of England, and ‘Best Place to Work in the UK’ two years running.

All this combined, gives Minnie a knowledgeable position to explain the status quo of women in design.

Minnie Moll, CEO of The Design Council

What is your role in the design industry? i.e., business or job role?

I’m the Chief Executive of the Design Council and I’ve been in the role since March 2021.

Can you name any three women who inspire you, and why? Past or present

So many women inspire me. Maya Angelou for her creativity, writing, wisdom, and generally being such a sassy lady. Michele Obama for the extraordinary way she took on the first lady role with such grace, authenticity, and integrity. And Frida Kahlo for her art, her story, and her beautiful and bold sense of style.

Tell us one thing which people may not know about you? Personally, or design associated.

I’m a qualified transformational coach with focus on supporting women in business.

Do you feel there are challenges for women in the design industry? Do you have any personal stories to share?

77% of UK designers identify as male. In architecture, and product and industrial design, it’s even higher.  That’s a big issue. Design shapes the world we live in, so we must strive for diversity and inclusivity to reflect the wonderfully diverse world we are designing for.

There tends to be a large rise of women in design, which is brilliant, but less women seem to hold higher positions in larger businesses. What do you think the design industry could do to redress this imbalance?

I think the big issues are the same in design as in any sector. The biggest challenge for women is that we have the babies and still do the majority of early childcare. It’s at this point that so often women’s careers stall because we are side lined. It can stop our career ‘flow’.

Also, if there are no positive role models in the leadership of organisations, women are not going to aspire to be in those roles. We need to work harder to get under the surface of the things that are getting in the way. A good start point is asking women that directly.

As a female CEO yourself, was it difficult to rise to your position as a female? And what blocks do you think are there for women to gain access to such prominent positions in business?

I think many of the blocks are self-imposed. It’s often about our own limiting beliefs, imposter syndrome, thinking I’m not doing work or parenting well enough. Also facing some sexist behaviour along the way. I have dealt with some very difficult men in my career and learned a lot from that. There are three things that have really helped me; a fantastic supportive husband, mentors that have inspired me, and having a personal coach. Having a coach is a game changer.

It’s still not a level playing field, so this always makes me smile:

“Sure, Fred Astaire was great, but don’t forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did, backwards and in high heels.”  Bob Thaves

Minnie Moll, CEO of The Design Council

www.designcouncil.org.uk

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