The glass ceiling applied to the concept of gender refers to the invisible barrier that prevents a person from a minority group from advancing in a company's hierarchy simply because of their identity. As COO of two organisations (and soon to be three), Laura Cornil has, in a way, broken through this ceiling. But, as in Belgium, there is still a long way to go before perfect parity is achieved.
Laura Cornil has been (and still is) COO on several occasions. First at WOLF Food Market, before taking over its little brother FOX in 2023. She will also take on the role of COO for the family's next venture: RATS, which will open early next year in the Ixelles district of Saint-Boniface. Add to her CV the position of COO of Kawa Club, the café in Galerie Bortier. ‘My job is to move from department to department, helping where I can and supervising the work of the teams,’ sums up the multi-tasking director. In short, these are positions of high responsibility. Laura Cornil has earned these positions, but not without having to fight against a phenomenon that prevents women from advancing to the top of the hierarchy: the glass ceiling.
One ceiling leads to another
In 2011, Belgium passed a law requiring publicly traded companies to have a quota of one-third women on their boards of directors. From 8.1% women on these boards in 2008, the figure has quadrupled to reach 37.3% in 2024. This is significant progress, but there is still a long way to go. Furthermore, gaining access to these bodies does not mean that women are no longer faced with the glass ceiling. In 2024, only 8.9% of publicly traded companies in Belgium had a woman at the head of their board of directors. It should be noted, however, that in the same year, Belgium rose to fifth place in the European gender equality index. Progress is slow, however. Since 2021, our country has improved its score by only 0.1 points.
Gender inequalities are not only observed in statistics. Laura Cornil sees it on a daily basis: ‘From a personal point of view, although I think many women share this feeling, my glass ceiling takes the form of imposter syndrome. You always feel like you're playing a role. When I'm doing this interview, I feel like I'm pretending to be someone else, I tell myself that I'm not running the International Monetary Fund.’
Nothing is guaranteed. You have to fight every day - Laura Cornil
And yet, this COO's career path is every bit as impressive as that of her counterparts. Originally from Walloon Brabant, Laura Cornil grew up ‘in a privileged, very caring community’. After completing a bachelor's degree in hotel management at the CERIA campus in Anderlecht, she took part in a competition for young entrepreneurs. She won the title at her school and at the national level, and even defended her project internationally. ‘That's when I realised I had this ability to manage teams. I quickly understood which direction to take and what pace to set for others.’ A few years later, she was promoted to manager at the parent company of Ellis Gourmet Burger restaurants, where she met two Brussels entrepreneurs: Thierry Goor and Pascal Van Hamme, founders of WOLF. ‘My current job started from there, from this trio that worked very well together.’
Taking on the role of COO involves authority. ‘You have to be able to make tough decisions sometimes. You have to maintain friendly relationships, while remaining firm.’ This temperament does not resonate in the same way depending on gender. ‘I don't want to stigmatise, but we often say that an authoritative man is highly valued. For a woman, we would say that she is rather hysterical, which is less well regarded,’ notes the COO. "I have a fairly strong personality. I work with my emotions and I'm proud of that. It allows me to love my job and do it wholeheartedly. I'm sometimes judged as authoritarian for that. You have to deal with the comments, but it's not always easy."
Another issue that had to be addressed was managing work and personal time. ‘I have two children. I don't want to neglect their education. My husband too, of course, but I think this affects men less.’ This dual responsibility is an additional obstacle when you want to advance in a world of work that is primarily designed for men. ‘When I was at Ellis Gourmet Burger, it was very strict,’ recalls Laura Cornil. ‘I was younger and had fewer reasons to be at home. I sometimes worked 17 days in a row, which was probably not very legal, but that’s the nature of the job, so I didn’t complain.’ Since joining Food Market, she has more freedom. ‘Thierry Goor, my direct line manager, trusts me. I organise my time as I see fit. I have to be accountable, but it's the results that matter.’ This arrangement does not prevent the COO from accomplishing a heavy workload. ‘It's very important for me to pick up my children from school. So I'm rarely available between 5 pm and 7 pm. On the other hand, I'm the first to come back if necessary, and I work a lot in the evenings to make up my hours.’ The fight for gender equality is progressing, as is the representation of women in business. “When I arrived at WOLF, I was the only one. Today, at FOX, there are only women. I'm obviously exaggerating, but there certainly are women in operations,” says Laura Cornil.
Like Belgium, which has gained a modest 0.1 points in four years, there is still a long way to go before perfect parity is achieved. ‘Nothing can be taken for granted. We think we live in a society where many things are a given, but that's not true. We have to fight every day.’ Fight for legal advances, certainly. From a more personal perspective, the COO is also fighting her glass ceiling: ‘You have to tighten every screw, every corner of every piece of furniture, and never give up. You also have to control yourself. In my team, when we achieve something, we take our win. We have the right to keep our small victories, and that feels good. Take your win.’
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