Sony Music Australia | CEO's ousting over 'boys' club' culture brings to light leadership warning

For some, the image that springs to mind when discussing executive culture is that of a sharply dressed Don Draper from Mad Men, sitting behind a large oak desk, fine whiskey and crystal tumblers at arm’s reach. And whilst once, this was indeed at least a parody of executive culture, the days of what many might describe as a ‘boys club’ culture are firmly behind us, right?

Well in fact, not as much as one might hope. In a pre-COVID survey of 1,500 working women, InHerSight found that 54.1% say that they have worked at a company with a culture that they’d characterise as a ‘boys‘ club’. As a result, 35% believe that they’ve missed out on an opportunity due to not being invited to out-of-work drinks or events, and 36.5% even believe that they’ve specifically missed out on a promotion due to their gender.