Are celebrity women executives good role models for women?

It is well documented that there are few women at the top of organisations. A frequently suggested reason for this scarcity is that women simply lack role models: you cannot be what you cannot see. However, although there may be few senior women who might function as role models in women’s immediate organisational environment, the number of celebrity businesswomen whom women might see as role models is growing. These celebrities often provide other women with advice through autobiographical books that combine self-help with lived experience. For example, Sheryl Sandberg, Karren Brady and Deborah Meaden have published books outlining how they became successful and offering advice on how other women can follow suit.