Leadership, skills & purpose: What it takes to thrive in the future of work

From the growing gender gap in leadership to the rise of AI-powered marketing and mission-driven healthcare, this edition of In the Loop explores what the future of work demands and how bold leaders are showing up to meet it.

The hidden cost of overlooking women in leadership

For the third year in a row, the rate of hiring women into leadership roles has dropped. Globally, we’ve lost hard-won progress and slipped back to where we were five years ago. And it’s not just about leadership; women’s representation in the workforce overall has stalled, especially at the highest levels of education and experience.

The irony? Women are already equipped for the future of leadership. LinkedIn data shows they’re more likely to bring cross-functional, human-centered skills that are crucial in the age of AI.

Explore the latest research from LinkedIn and the World Economic Forum on what’s holding women back—and what it will take to close the gap for good.

Unlocking Opportunity in a Changing Labour Market

Too many capable people are still being excluded from jobs they’re more than qualified for, simply because they don’t have the “right” degree or job title.

A new report from LinkedIn’s Economic Graph, in partnership with the OECD Centre for Skills, shows how skills-based hiring can help close that gap. When we focus on what people can do, not just where they’ve been—we unlock opportunities for historically overlooked talent and open up stronger candidate pipelines for employers.

Read the full article here. 

AI, empathy & the future of marketing: A conversation with Samsung’s CMO

What does it take to lead marketing in an AI-powered world? At LinkedIn’s new Customer Experience Centre in London, Tom Pepper , LinkedIn Senior Director sat down with Benjamin Braun, CMO of Samsung Europe and a LinkedIn Top Voice, to explore just that.

From the growing importance of emotional intelligence to the rise of “Minimax” innovation, Braun shares bold insights on how marketing leaders can adapt, evolve, and stay human in a digital-first world.

🔑 Key takeaways include:

• Why empathy and cultural nuance are non-negotiable in the age of AI
• The “Minimax” approach to rapid innovation
• How AI is transforming campaign personalization
• Why the best leadership moments are often unplanned — and in person
• The real value of LinkedIn? Hint: It’s in the comments.

📺 Watch the full conversation: here. 

Build the AI Skills Employers Are Looking For

You’ve probably heard, “Learn AI” but what does that actually mean? Should you be mastering ChatGPT? Exploring Microsoft Copilot? Automating tasks with new tools?

The good news: you don’t need to know it all today. There’s still time to build meaningful AI literacy and stand out in a job market that’s evolving fast.

Whether you’re job hunting, upskilling, or preparing for what’s next, LinkedIn is offering a curated collection of free AI learning courses through the end of July. Explore the essentials, sharpen your skills, and get confident using AI in real ways.

🎓 Check out the full course list and catch the latest episode of #GetHired with Andrew Seaman.

Want to unlock new opportunities? Start with your LinkedIn profile

Your LinkedIn profile is more than a digital résumé, it’s your professional story. Whether you’re job hunting, building your brand, or expanding your network, making your profile shine can open new doors.

Join Yrbenka Arthus and Andrew Seaman on Thursday, July 17 for a live, interactive session packed with practical tips to help you stand out.

🔍 In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Highlight your achievements in a compelling way
• Boost your brand through authentic content
• Showcase the skills that recruiters and hiring managers are searching for

💬 Got questions about profile optimization? Drop them in the comments — a few will be answered live during the event.

📅 Save your spot now and take the next step toward your next opportunity.

From diagnosis to disruption: How Shamim Nabuuma is using AI to transform women’s health

What started as a personal fight turned into a mission to democratize healthcare. Shamim Nabuuma shares how CHIL AI Lab is using AI to bring life-saving access to women—and the global support helping her scale.

Your journey from a medical student to a founder was deeply personal. Can you tell us how you shaped your vision for CHIL AI Lab?

In 2016, I was just a second-year medical student when I heard the words no one ever wants to hear: "You have breast cancer." I was really scared. But as I went through treatment, what broke me the most wasn’t just my own diagnosis. It was seeing the women around me. Most of them were already in the late stages. They hadn’t caught it early like I had. They didn’t get that chance.That changed everything for me.

I realized it wasn’t just about the disease; it was about access. So many women were dying, not because cancer can’t be treated, but because they had no way to catch it early. No screenings. No awareness. No support.

That’s what drove me to start what would eventually become CHIL AI Lab. In the beginning, it was just me and a few others, doing what we could. We went from village to village, identifying groups of women, setting up temporary clinics, and organizing annual cancer screening camps. We would pitch tents, bring nurses, and spend days camped out in communities making screening available where it had never been before. It was simple, but it was powerful. We reached so many women.

But as time went on, I started to feel the cracks. We could screen people but what about the next step? What about the women who needed treatment? Following up with them, making sure they reached referral hospitals, keeping track of who was getting care and who wasn’t. It became overwhelming. I couldn’t do it all manually anymore. That’s when I knew something had to change. We needed technology. Not to replace the human part, but to support it. To make sure no one was lost after screening. So, we started building digital tools, using AI to help us track follow-ups, send reminders, connect women with services faster, and make sure they weren’t forgotten. That’s how CHIL AI Lab was truly born. Out of my own diagnosis. Out of the women I met.

CHIL AI Lab operates at the intersection of telemedicine, AI, and drone logistics, what were some of the biggest hurdles in integrating these technologies?

I’m one of the pioneers of tele-oncology in Uganda, but in the beginning, many people didn’t take our services seriously. They would say things like, “So a patient sees the doctor online? But a doctor needs to see the appearance of the patient in person.” There were a lot of questions and doubts.

Relief came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when no one was allowed to move beyond their homes. That’s when people finally began to understand the value and necessity of remote healthcare.

But beyond the professional challenges, I faced even deeper personal ones — especially because I’m a woman. Many people assumed that anyone building a tech-based solution had to be a man. And to make matters worse, I was just a medical student at the time, so most people believed I had no idea about technology.

I kept going. I followed my purpose. And now, I am changing the world

You’ve achieved recognition from Forbes Africa and even introduced your platform to Serena Williams in Cannes. How has your network helped you grow the business and how should other founders think about building and leveraging theirs?

As a founder coming from a background like mine with no father to support me, growing up on a continent where access to capital is incredibly difficult, and pioneering something completely new, I have come to understand that partnerships are not just helpful, they’re essential for growth.

Over time, I have learnt that it’s often me versus the world. That means I have to be ready to capture every opportunity that comes my way. And each time I build new networks, I fight to make sure I use their influence to extend my impact to as many people as possible.

My involvement with Reckitt’s WiNFUND programme has not only offered me invaluable access to funding as part of their mission to support women-led organizations transforming access to health and hygiene, but has led me to meet a business role model of mine, Serena Williams, as part of the launch of the Reckitt Catalyst in Cannes.

So whether it’s Forbes, Reckitt’s WiNFUND (my newest family), or Serena Williams, any time I gain access to a platform, a connection, or a spotlight I make sure I use it to move one step closer to my ultimate goal: the democratization of healthcare.

What role has mentorship (or sponsorship) played in your journey, and what advice would you give to young women in tech and health who are looking to find strong mentors?

I was building from scratch and mentorship wasn't just helpful, it was survival. I didn’t come from a place of privilege. I had no financial safety net, no family in business or tech, and very few role models were around me who looked like me or understood my vision. I think it’s rare to get a mentor who understands the problems, so as a founder your prayer should always be getting someone who sees mentoring you as not just helping you, but building you into a founder the world admires 

What is one lesson you learned the hard way while scaling CHIL AI Lab that you think every founder should hear?

My biggest lesson has come from my past, I never entertain negative energy. A lot of people will tell you it’s impossible, but you should focus your thoughts on those who made it .

How has the financial and business support from Reckitt over the last 3 years helped you scale your business to where it is today, and what is your focus for the next 5 years?

The financial and business support from Reckitt over the past three years has been a game-changer for us. Through the WiNFUND initiative and Dettol Hygiene Quest, Reckitt didn’t just fund CHIL — they believed in our vision at a time when very few did.

Before Reckitt, we were reaching communities with very limited resources, relying mostly on grassroots efforts and passion. But their support allowed us to build infrastructure, invest in technology, and expand our services across more schools and rural communities. It gave us the capacity to move from a small, promising initiative to a scalable telehealth platform making a measurable difference in hygiene and preventive care across East Africa.

Reckitt to us is more than a partner, it is family. They provided mentorship, funding, visibility, and a network of partners that opened doors we could never have reached alone. Reckitt’s commitment to health and hygiene innovations, especially through WiNFUND and now its five-year Catalyst programme, unlocks the barriers that female entrepreneurs face in order to grow and scale their business.

Looking ahead to the next five years, our focus is scale with purpose. We want to grow, but intentionally in a way that ensures sustainability, deep community impact, and strong health outcomes.

• We are expanding CHIL’s School Telemedicine across Southern Africa.

• We intend to scale Dettol Hygiene Quest to all countries where we operate, embedding hygiene education and access to hygiene products as a core part of our health model reaching at least two million children in the next five years

• And we’re committed to democratizing access to preventive healthcare, especially for women and girls in underserved communities reaching more than 10 million people with our Tele medicine services.

With Reckitt’s support, we can build a runway to fly even higher and take millions more along with us on our healthcare mission.

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