The World’s Most Powerful Women: May 25

Good morning, WMPW readers! London’s new mayor has named three women to top posts, designer Billie Whitehouse has made a running jacket that gives directions, and women at the Washington Post make less than the men. Got some news about an exceptional woman? Find me on Twitter at @laurascohn. Enjoy your Wednesday!

THE BIG STORY

The high cost of harassment

I was heartened to read that the number of sexual harassment and discrimination claims declined by 51% in the U.K. in recent months. But then I saw that the helpline at the agency in charge of such claims has received an increasing number of calls from employees who want help with the issue. The takeaway? It's possible that new fees are making women reluctant to go public. Turns out, it can cost as much as 1,200 pounds (nearly $2,000) to file a claim and have a hearing against an employer. It doesn't sound like much, but given the emotional cost of making such a claim, adding a financial burden may have made women less likely to come forward.Telegraph

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

London mayor names three women to top roles

New London mayor Sadiq Khan, who talked about gender inequality during his campaign, has appointed three women to top positions. They are: Sophie Linden, who will run the Metropolitan Police; Val Shawcross, deputy chair of Transport for London; and Joanne McCartney, the statutory deputy.

New York Times

A founder at Facebook

An ex-Air Force sergeant is running Facebook's operations in Israel. Adi Soffer-Teeni, whose family helped establish Tel Aviv a century ago, is a founder herself, having started and overseen firms in the consumer software, education, and online gaming industries.

Bloomberg

Exposing inequality

Olga Grygier-Siddons, the first female CEO of PwC for Central and Eastern Europe, says disclosure is key to getting more women at the top of corporations. "When you shine a light on these issues you tend to get better behaviors," she says in a frank interview that's worth a read.

Budapest Business Journal

Redefining African fashion

Author Hannah Azieb Pool wrote an op-ed in the Guardian asking why the Western fashion industry makes African fashion "a single, monolithic entity." To help clear things up, she's edited a book, Fashion Cities Africa, tied to a museum exhibit about street style in Johannesburg, Casablanca, Lagos, and Nairobi, which she hopes will "capture a sense of the breadth and scope of the African fashion Renaissance."

CNN

ASIA-PACIFIC

A jacket that gives directions

Wouldn't it be cool if your running jacket tapped you on the left shoulder when it was time to turn left? That's the aim of Australian wearable tech designer Billie Whitehouse's new "Navigate jacket," which will be available online later this year through her startup, Wearable Experiments.

CNBC

Whiskey for women

Whiskey is becoming popular among career-minded women in Asia through women-only whiskey clubs and master classes in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Johnnie Walker brand ambassador Christina Hendricks has also helped.

South China Morning Post

Taking over telecom

Hong Kong's third largest wireless network operator, SmarTone Telecom, has named a female CEO: MasterCard exec Anna Yip.

South China Morning Post

THE AMERICAS

Hillary's odds

Even though Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in a Real Clear Politics tally of recent political polls, prediction market tracker PredictWise is still expecting voters to select the first female POTUS.

Wall Street Journal

Power advice

UN Ambassador Samantha Power told Yale graduates to go "all in" when tackling inequality. She also said she was "shocked" when she told a fellow ambassador that women should apply for the UN secretary general slot and the official replied, "Do you want to look at a pretty girl or do you want someone who can actually get the job done for women?" I would have been shocked, too.

Yale News

Making less

According to the union at the Washington Post, women make 86% of what their male colleagues do. Sadly, it's not all that surprising. A recent Glassdoor report found that the industry has one of the largest pay gaps.

New York Magazine

Governing the Galapagos

Ecuador has appointed a woman to manage the Galapagos Islands: Africa Berdonces, who came to the area soon after her birth. Berdonces, who will assume one of the globe's most important environmental positions, is Galapagos National Park's third female director.

New York Times