Irene Cofone is the US Director of HR at Group SJR, a WPP company, where she works closely with leaders navigating the human side of business. She is the mother of two boys, Luke and Alex, and her perspective on leadership has been shaped by balancing career, family, and the responsibilities that come with both.
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Her feature runs in the March 2026 issue.
How has motherhood changed the way you lead at work?
It made me more decisive and more empathetic at the same time. I used to think those were in tension. They're not. When you've had to make a call at 2am about whether your child needs a doctor, making a judgment call in a room full of adults feels very manageable. And the empathy, understanding that the person across from you is carrying things you can't see, motherhood gives you that in abundance.
What would you want the next generation of working mothers to know?
That strength doesn't always feel powerful. Sometimes it feels like showing up when you're exhausted. Sometimes it feels like asking for help when you've been trained to handle everything alone. The women I most admire aren't the ones who made it look effortless. They're the ones who kept going anyway, in full view of their children, so their children could see what that looks like.
Read the full feature in the March 2026 issue.
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