Today, Sonya Leydecker, joint chief executive officer of international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, has been honoured with being included on the inaugural City A.M. Power 100 Women list – a collation of a 100 leading women working in The City. 
 

The list covers CEO’s, entrepreneurs, economists and millennials, as well as those working in banking and finance, investment, law, technology and telecoms, property, and accountancy. The list celebrates the leading women of London and identifies the ‘ones to watch’. Sonya Leydecker is one of ten lawyers who made the list.

Sonya Leydecker, joint chief executive officer at Herbert Smith Freehills said: 

“I am delighted to have been included in this prestigious list alongside such distinguished and talented women who work in the City. Having a female CEO is a visible reminder of Herbert Smith Freehills' strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.”

The women were chosen based on a number of qualitative characteristics, including the strength and power of position, number of people they manage, and wider impact on the sector. The full list can be found here.

Charles Yardley, COO of City A.M., said of the list: 
“As the definitive London business news organisation, City A.M. is proud to be launching this multi-platform initiative, which speaks to the strength and talent of London’s leading ladies.”

To honour the launch of the Power 100 Women franchise, the City A.M. newspaper was guest-edited by Jayne-Anne Ghadia on Wednesday 18th May. 

Commenting on the list, Jayne-Anne Gadhia said:
"It is fantastic to see City A.M. celebrating the considerable talent of London’s power women – from the lawyers and accountants to the entrepreneurs and executives, all driving innovation and economic growth. By holding a light to their achievements, we amplify the positive impact that these fantastic role models have on men and women alike."

City A.M. has launched Power 100 Women as part of its continuing championing of women in The City and follows its first Power Women Breakfast panel on 17th May, in which the CEO of Virgin Money, Jayne-Anne Gadhia; CEO of RSM, Jean Stephens; Chief of Staff of Tech City, Caroline Makepeace; and Natalie Campbell, Founder of A Very Good Company, all took part.

Supporting the initiative, Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, Nicky Morgan, said:
“This inaugural Power 100 Women list is a really exciting measure of the growing recognition of women within the City. Having women in these prominent positions means that companies benefit from an enormous wealth of female talent as well as ensuring visible working role models for the next generation of girls.

“We have already come a long way but can still do more to make sure women everywhere are able to fulfil their potential. It is women like these, who are performing at the top of their game, and the men who work alongside them, who are in a position to make this possible throughout the UK at every level.”

The Power 100 Women list, which is unranked, is compiled from research conducted by the City A.M. team and based on nominations made by companies in the city. #CityAMWomen

About City AM
City A.M. is a daily business news organisation, distributed at commuter and professional hotspots throughout London and the surrounding area, as well as 1,600 offices throughout the City, Canary Wharf and other areas of high business concentration. The paper employs an editorial team of 27 across its four daily sections – news, business features and investment, lifestyle and sport – and has an active website, CityAM.com.

City A.M. and CityAM.com has a daily readership in excess of 399,000 professionals. The newspaper has a distribution figure of 97,974 and its readers are professionals, in full-time work and with an average salary of over £87,000 per annum - three times the national average.

CityAM.com has a monthly visitor figure in excess of 1.27m, of which two-thirds are in the UK. The website visitors have an average income of £52,000 (Source: Adobe Analytics, Comscore). The paper was launched in September 2005 by Co-Founders Jens Torpe and Lawson Muncaster and operates as an independent media company.

About Herbert Smith Freehills
Operating from over 26 offices across Asia Pacific, EMEA and North America, Herbert Smith Freehills is at the heart of the new global business landscape providing premium quality, full-service legal advice. We provide many of the world’s most important organisations with access to market-leading dispute resolution, projects and transactional legal advice, combined with expertise in a number of global industry sectors, including energy, natural resources, infrastructure, technology and financial services. www.herbertsmithfreehills.com
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