40 Years Of Women: Carina Bauer

This is the first article in our 2019 news series marking the 40th anniversary of women being admitted to study at Pembroke, which we celebrate by recognising some of our distinguished alumnae from a variety of fields.

Carina Bauer (1995, PPE) is the CEO of IMEX group, which runs two of the largest global tradeshows within the events industry. Having served as CEO since 2009, Carina has been an active member of several boards and advisory groups within the events industry, and has been named as ‘One of the 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry’ by industry publications. We recently had the opportunity to interview her, where she discussed different aspects of her life and career.

Q. How do you juggle being a successful CEO and a hands-on mum of two?

A. I think most working mums will agree that it’s a constant balance; but the key is working out your priorities, not feeling guilty when you sometimes need to prioritise work over other things and most importantly having a supportive partner. Finally, accept the help that you need to get things done – be that at work or at home - and find time to look after yourself too.

Q. What has been your experience as a woman in the events industry?

A. I feel lucky to be in an industry that is extremely open, welcoming and inclusive to all. Having said that, whilst 75% of the events industry is female, only about 20% of leadership positions are occupied by women and so there’s still a lot of work that we need to accomplish. Together with some of my industry partners, I have championed an industry wide initiative called ‘She Means Business’ and ‘She Means Community’ – through which we aim to educate, inspire and develop women in the industry who aspire to leadership roles.

Q. There is a shortage of women at board level in British companies, why do you think this is?

A. Truly there is a shortage of women at board level across the world, but it is changing. The question is whether we are happy for these changes to happen organically (i.e. slowly), or whether we want to force the faster adoption of gender equality at board level through mechanisms like quotas. Young girls need to be able to have positive role models and picture themselves in senior positions and this is at least half of the battle.

Q. A favourite memory from Pembroke?

A. I have so many amazing memories of Pembroke – from arriving as a fresh-faced fresher, to early mornings at the boat club in the hail and snow! If I had to choose just one memory though, I would probably choose lazy summer afternoons, sitting in the quad, playing croquet and generally enjoying college life.