LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- Valerie Gooding is in the top five most powerful businesswomen in Europe as named by the Financial Times . She runs global health and care organization BUPA and under her leadership it has grown to over 8 million customers in over 190 countries and record revenues . CNN 's Todd Benjamin spoke to her in London and began by asking her why there are so few women at the top . She said it goes beyond family issues . Gooding : Women sometimes do n't put themselves forward for things . And one of the things I think about and talk about a lot is that women often lack confidence to go for the next job , the top job . They sometimes do n't wish to compete or they do n't think they 're good enough for the next thing . Benjamin : Why do you think that is ? Gooding : Partly a lack of role models , partly it may be conditioning from a very early age about what the role of women is in society and the family , in work . But also I think there is still -- I do n't like to call it a glass ceiling , but I think there is still an unseen barrier for women , which is that , if you ask most business people , would they like to promote more women , they would all say yes , they 'd love to : `` Where are these women , I want to promote them , '' will be the answer . But often they do n't really automatically think of a woman first for a top job . Benjamin : And what advice would you give to women who want to try and make it to the top ? Gooding : Well , first of all , to learn as much as you can and to make sure you 've got the right experience , the right qualifications , and to enjoy each job for its own interest and job satisfaction . But I think another piece of advice I would give to women is not to be afraid to put themselves forward and say what it is they want , because I think one thing that happens with women , which perhaps is a gender difference , is that women often hang back and think `` I will be noticed for my results , everybody will see how great I am because I 've delivered these exceptional outcomes '' . But actually life is n't like that , you have to tell people about your results and your achievements , and men are often better at doing that than women are . Benjamin : What do you think separates good leadership from great leadership ? Gooding : Well , I think good leaders should be judged on their results . And I think of a good leader you should be able to say `` she transformed the business , '' `` she upped the performance , '' `` she exceeded the expectations of the stakeholders . '' I think of a great leader I would go to that old Chinese saying , `` of a great leader the people will say `` we did it ourselves '' '' . Benjamin : Do you think that women in general as managers are more inclusive than men ? Gooding : No , I do n't . In fact , I sometimes find these gender differences , when sort of represented in the business environment , are actually just not very useful . I think men and women have very different styles of leadership as individuals and I do n't think it goes down to straightforward gender divide . Because I have seen women who are more autocratic and more leading from the front and more dictatorial , and I 've equally seen men who are very consultative . So , I do n't just think it divides that way . Benjamin : You clearly love what you do . What is it about business that you think is such a buzz ? Gooding : It 's the constant challenge , there 's always something new , there 's a new competitor , there 's a new pressure , there 's a new opportunity , there 's a new challenge , I think that 's what keeps us all going . I think it 's the thrill of the chase , basically . E-mail to a friend .
Valerie Gooding , CEO of BUPA , speaks to CNN 's Todd Benjamin . Hide Caption Valerie is one of FT 's top five most powerful businesswomen in Europe .