The appointment was reported as a milestone. Inside the business it was, for a while, a curiosity, something to be remarked upon before the agenda began. The remarking stops eventually, and what remains is the work.
What I learned first is that visibility is a responsibility with a short shelf life. Being the first buys attention; only results buy authority. I spent the early months on evidence rather than statements.
The second lesson concerned succession. A single appointment changes very little. What changes an organisation is the second and third woman promoted on merit, and the quiet redesign of how talent is identified, sponsored and paid.
There is a particular tax in being the only one in the room: the assumption that your view represents a category rather than a considered view. The remedy is not to shrink the view but to bring more people into the room who can hold their own.
Empowerment is not a programme. It is a series of decisions about who is trusted with difficult work, and whether they are supported when that work is hard.