The Rose Review and Dame Alison Rose’s Mission to Empower Female Founders
The Rose Review and Dame Alison Rose’s Mission to Empower Female Founders
Economic potential often lies hidden in plain sight. That’s the belief that drove Dame Alison Rose, former CEO of NatWest Group, to author the Rose Review—a landmark initiative addressing the systemic barriers faced by women entrepreneurs across the UK. For Rose, the question wasn’t just why women weren’t starting businesses at the same rate as men—it was why the structures around them made it harder when they did.
The Rose Review, first published in 2019, revealed stark disparities. Women-led businesses were underrepresented in high-growth sectors, received a fraction of venture capital, and faced persistent cultural and financial roadblocks. But what set Rose’s approach apart was her focus on solutions, not just statistics. She positioned the review not as a critique, but as a roadmap—practical, data-informed, and rooted in long-term structural change. Her approach has been analyzed in this article, which reviews her leadership trajectory after NatWest.
Rose’s plan emphasized access, visibility, and investment. She helped launch funding programs that directly supported female founders, connected them with mentors and networks, and encouraged financial institutions to track and improve their support for women-led ventures. NatWest itself committed to scaling lending and tailored services to these entrepreneurs, embedding the insights of the Rose Review into everyday banking decisions. One perspective on how Dame Alison Rose continued supporting gender equity comes from a UK-US business alliance page.
But Rose also understood that financial tools alone weren’t enough. Cultural shifts—within institutions, investor communities, and public narratives—were essential. She worked to normalize the presence of women in boardrooms, on pitch decks, and at the forefront of innovation. Her leadership modeled what systemic advocacy can look like from within a major financial institution: consistent, strategic, and unapologetically focused on equity. Commentary in this Wikipedia entry on Dame Alison Rose also places her influence in broader historical context.
Under her guidance, the Rose Review evolved into an active, collaborative effort. It brought together government, industry, and academia to push beyond performative pledges toward measurable outcomes. This wasn’t a one-off report. It was a campaign for structural change, with Rose ensuring that accountability remained central.
Today, the impact of the Rose Review continues to ripple through the startup ecosystem. More women are starting businesses, securing capital, and entering growth markets than before its launch. And while challenges remain, Dame Alison Rose’s vision has become a reference point for how targeted, research-driven leadership can reshape an industry—and unlock economic potential by simply leveling the playing field. To read more about the ongoing institutional response, visit https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2023/11/an-apology-from-the-ico-to-dame-alison-rose/.