The more we talk about kindness in business, the more we'll break through the hard structures that have defined business and alienated women from getting to the top.
Mary PortasI really, really do believe that the future of being successful in work is going to be about embracing all of those wonderful things women bring - empathy, collaboration, flexibility - all those wonderful feminine traits we've suppressed for too long.
Mary PortasBalancing your ego is the most important thing, because success fuels ego - and that is not easy sometimes. When you're in the public eye, people see that as success and it's just not.
Mary PortasThe elephant in the room time and time again when it comes to work and promotions is maternity leave. We need to work with businesses so they work with women and make it easy and supportive for them to come back into the workplace.
Mary PortasI think we need to embrace feminism, we need to embrace all of the gifts women bring to the workplace.
Mary PortasWhen you meet people at dinner parties, you'll ask what they do and it might be a woman who'll say: "Oh I used to work but I'm only a housewife now." They'll put down what they've achieved, like raising kids. You want to say to people "well you're just a wonderful human, just because I have my gob on the telly and I've made some money, it doesn't make me successful or any better than you."
Mary Portas