Leadership Skills at the Top

Women play an interesting role in Toastmasters leadership. Although women were not admitted as members until 1973 (with the first female International President taking office in 1985), they are quickly making up time—in 2025, four of the five top Board of Directors members (the Executive Committee) are women. And none were born in North America.

2023–2024 International President Morag Mathieson, DTM, was followed by 2024–2025 International President Radhi Spear, DTM. Aletta Rochat, DTM, is the International President-Elect, and Gauri Seshadri, DTM, is the Second Vice President.

Their leadership experiences have changed their lives in ways they could have never anticipated, and often in ways that are unique to women.

“When you look back [at life], you’re not likely to regret trying and failing but far more likely to regret never even trying.”

Radhi Spear, DTM, 2024–2025 International President

Reasons for Joining

There are many reasons people join Toastmasters, but it’s safe to say that no one goes to their first club meeting with the goal of being International President someday.

Although it’s hard to imagine now, Seshadri and Spear, who are both from India, joined Toastmasters to become more comfortable speaking in front of people and gain confidence. Both joined after they moved to the United States and were conscious of the fact that Americans spoke more directly than they were used to.

“While my English is good, I knew I had to be more confident, more assertive,” says Seshadri, who now lives in Bangalore, India. “I was missing opportunities at work. I realized I was the biggest obstacle in my own path of success.”

Spear, who lives in Piscataway, New Jersey, also felt she needed to gain confidence in communicating, particularly as a woman in the male-dominant telecommunications field.

For Mathieson, of Möhrendorf, Germany, and Rochat, of Cape Town, South Africa, the reasons were different. They didn’t have any fear of public speaking—in fact, both were attracted to Toastmasters because they enjoyed communicating and wanted to find people with the same interest.

Mathieson had relocated from England to Germany, and wanted to meet new people and network with others.

Rochat went to her first meeting after years of being home raising her children. “It was just a fun evening out,” Rochat recalls. “But when I got there, I was just blown away. They were so articulate, so funny. I knew I could learn; I knew it was the place for me.”

“It all starts with putting your hand up. If you don’t do that, you don’t get that growth; you have to do that zone of discomfort.”

Aletta Rochat, DTM, 2024–2025 International President-Elect

Breaking Down Barriers

While all four women admit they see themselves as leaders first, rather than women leaders, they also all recognize the significance of their role, especially because none of them were born in North America.

“As a woman, I find many women come to me, and say ‘because you’re doing this we know it’s possible.’ This is especially true as a woman from outside North America,” says Mathieson.

Rochat will be the first International President from Africa, something she finds incredibly exciting and hopes will encourage others to see international leadership as a possibility.

Seshadri admits that for years she was reluctant to participate in anything too women-centric, such as International Women’s Day celebrations—preferring to be seen as a leader, rather than a woman leader. But she now realizes the value of stepping up.

“If I come forward there might be other people in India or Asia who look at me and think If Gauri can do it, so can I. If I could help at least one person, that would be amazing.”

“Toastmasters gives you a safe space to practice the skills. That gave me confidence, opened doors, created new opportunities for me.”

Gauri Seshadri, DTM, 2024-2025 Second Vice President

Life-Changing Impact of Their Leadership Journey

Mathieson, Spear, and Rochat all quickly jumped into club leadership roles, but it took Seshadri four years before she felt confident enough to do so.

The ascension from club officer to Executive Committee member looks different for everyone. Regardless of the path, the impact of the leadership roles—the skills gained, the people met, the experiences—has enhanced each of their lives.

All four women say that unquestionably they would not be where they are today in all areas of their lives without having been in a Toastmasters leadership position.

Mathieson, who was a longtime manager and executive in the pharmacy industry, became involved in a charity in Germany and served as chair of their board, something she says she never would have dared to do before her experience as a Toastmasters leader.

“I put myself in front of things in a way I wouldn’t have before. The confidence kind of creeps up on you—you don’t realize it’s happening.”

Spear, who works in the electrical engineering field, used the communication and leadership skills, as well as the confidence she gained through Toastmasters leadership, to advance her career, allowing her to become involved in resolving more critical challenges and be recognized as a subject-matter expert.

“In America, people speak with such confidence,” she says. “And sometimes you know they’re wrong, but they’re so confident. And a lot of women, including me, sell themselves short. For me, it was cultural as well as my personality.”

For Rochat and Seshadri, their journey in leadership led them to completely new careers.

When Rochat joined Toastmasters, she was raising her children, having left her career in marketing management. Within a year, she was coaching clients on public speaking skills. She soon established her own business as a coach and trainer, helping clients build executive presence, as well as communication and leadership skills.

“None of those things would have happened without Toastmasters,” she says. “I even got my first client through a connection at my club.”

Like Spear, Seshadri was also in the engineering field and working in the U.S. when she joined. She has since moved back to India and changed career paths a few times, with each change being due to a connection she made in Toastmasters.

Her current industry is game-based training, and the company she works for is not only run by former Toastmasters but the founder used to be her mentee. He had been encouraging her to go into the training field for years.

“Toastmasters gave me the confidence,” she says. “But it also gave me skills like motivation, teamwork, strategic planning, thinking, and an understanding of diverse cultures.”

“The confidence kind of creeps on you—you don’t realize it’s happening.”

Morag Mathieson, DTM, 2023-2024 International President

Encouraging Others

To anyone who is thinking about leadership, or is being “voluntold” or encouraged to be a leader, Mathieson states, “Think about saying yes before you say no. What would it mean if I said yes? What doors would open?

“What [leadership] did for me was grow my confidence and belief in myself. In the beginning, I wasn’t putting my hand up. I was happy to do things. But I always felt there was someone out there better than me. I realize now it’s necessary for us to put our hand up. There’s room for everyone at the table.”

Spear notes that members receive training for every role, and leaders practice those skills in Toastmasters’ safe, supportive environment. She encourages everyone to embrace the opportunity.

“In life, it’s easy to doubt yourself—feeling not good enough, smart enough, knowledgeable enough, or fast enough—and let that fear hold you back,” she states. “But when you look back, you’re not likely to regret trying and failing but far more likely to regret never even trying.”

Rochat’s philosophy has always been to simply make herself available, taking the attitude of: If I’m elected, I’ll do the role, if not, that’s okay.

“It all starts with putting your hand up,” she says. “If you don’t do that, you don’t get that growth; you have to do that zone of discomfort. None of [my leadership experience] was planned, and none of it would have happened if I hadn’t said yes.

“The journey you take at Toastmasters puts you on a journey to meet new people and experience new things. It’s incredibly enriching to be part of this organization, to interface with people all over the world.”

As Seshadri says, “When you interact with our global membership, you deepen your understanding of adapting your communication and leadership skills to diverse audiences. You learn how you work across different cultures.

“Toastmasters gives you a safe space to practice the skills. That gave me confidence, opened doors, created new opportunities for me. I was able to jump into roles and experiment with what I wanted to do outside of Toastmasters.”

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