Corinne Ripoche, CEO, Capita Experience
International Women’s Day is often seen as a moment for reflection – a day to acknowledge how far we have come. But awareness, while important, isn’t enough. In a modern landscape where the pace of change is accelerating, we must shift our focus from reflection to action.
For me, this starts at the very beginning of a girl’s life. When we protect a girl’s right to learn, we aren’t just changing one life, we are securing the foundation of our collective future. However, that future is currently being reshaped by the greatest technological transition of our time – the rise of Agentic AI.
We have moved past the generative tools of a few years ago that simply helped us write or search. Today, “Agents” are capable of executing complex workflows autonomously, from managing finances to navigating entire career paths. And we cannot ignore the fact that this transition does not impact the workforce equally.
Data from the UN indicates that women are disproportionately represented in the clerical, administrative, and customer-facing roles most susceptible to agentic automation. If we do not act now, we risk a future where technological progress inadvertently widens the gender pay and opportunity gap – chipping away at the hard-won progress we’ve made in female workforce participation.
So, what does the future of work look like for women?
When I began my career, success was defined by steady hands, predictable gains, and the requirement for leaders to always be right. In the age of AI, that model is outdated. Today, the most effective leaders aren’t those with all the answers, but those with the courage to be wrong.
As technical tasks are automated, “soft skills” are returning to the forefront as the most essential assets in the workforce. Traits that have historically been undervalued – curiosity, empathy, and resilience – are now our greatest competitive advantages. Many women are natural leaders who can collaborate and problem-solve while maintaining a sharp focus on the business case.
As we think about enabling future generations of women, there are three things I believe to be critical.
- Proactively invest in upskilling women whose roles are most impacted by agentic AI, moving them from process-heavy tasks to high-value oversight and strategy
- Encourage a culture where it is safe to experiment and learn from failure.
- Dismantle the biases that prevent women from transitioning into technical and strategic AI-governance roles.
Tackling these and ensuring that every girl has the tools to lead and a seat at the table, we are creating a world that is more equitable and resilient. We are preparing for a future where leadership is defined by the conviction to do things differently.
Corinne Ripoche, CEO of Capita Experience, is a female CEO in the heavily male dominated tech industry, taking real action in line with her passion for supporting and empowering other women.
Focusing on the UN’s 2026 theme of ‘Rights. Justice. Action. For all Women and Girls’, Corinne is particularly supporting the ‘rights’ part of the theme, for example:
- Women’s rights to education – Corinne is a founding member of The Girls’ Education Collective, which is part of Plan International. The collective supports a range of projects around the world that are helping to keep girls in school, and ensure all children have equal access to safe and quality education
- Women’s rights to do business – Corinne is a Global board member of the C200 – an organisation of female entrepreneurs and corporate executives that celebrate and advance women’s leadership in business