Shared ownership is simple and it works. I feel passionate about it and its ability to help first time buyers who can't otherwise afford to buy a home.

The head office of Fairtrade International is in the leafy, genteel city of Bonn, former capital of Germany. So when I got my dream job leading Fairtrade's international work, I moved here swapping London's electric mayhem for the peace of the cycle route along the Rhine.

It is often a surprise to people when they learn about the organisations out there who are using accounting skills to really make a difference in some of the world's poorest countries.

When I was growing up, Lego bricks came in primary colours and no one told me I couldn't build a garage, a rocket, a pirate ship or whatever took my fancy. Although the choice of bricks back then was severely limited, my imagination did not have to be. Now it seems to be the norm to split the building sets Lego market into those deemed appropriate for boys and those for girls.

Women do need to lean in to their careers. But they need support and self belief to get there in a world where traditional roles of mother/wife/care-giver/household shopper are still manifest.

So what can be done to make more women 'Lean in' and to rise above the social stereotypes so that we have more female role models and ensure that the list of future contenders to appear on our bank notes has a 50:50 split? It is important that women understand that they are not alone in feeling some of the deep-rooted fears and social biases that they experience in the workplace.