The 10th European Women and Sport Conference - chaired by acting head of governance at UK Sport Amanda Bennett - is currently taking place at the Grange City Hotel.

The four-day event has bought together some of the most powerful decision makers in sport to discuss policy in women's sport and Baroness Campbell, one of the keynote speakers at the event, told the conference that women often lack the confidence to go for the top positions in sport and that the problem is holding them back.

"There are two real issues here," Campbell told insidethegames.

"The first is that we have got to try to continue to create a climate where people respect and understand that women lead in a different way from men.

"It is not better, not worse, but just different.

"The second point is that we have to help support women - who unquestionably have the skills - to develop the confidence to really step up and go for the top positions in sport when they are there.

"So my view is not necessarily that we are in an oppressive system that stops women but I feel that in some cases, the climate is ignorant of the potential of what women can bring to the table.

"But by the same token, some of it is women's lack of confidence to step forward to do the job.

"So that is something that we definitely need to look at and that is why I told this conference that we need to develop that confidence if we want to see real change for women at all levels across the board."

Baroness Campbell continued that one of the keys to giving young girls confidence is through top female athletes like heptathlete star Jessica Ennis who will inspire them and make them believe that they can go on to do great things both in sport and in the business world.

"When you have elite athletes like Jess Ennis, Kelly Holmes, Denise Lewis and those other iconic British woman we have got, we must get over the message that they are just normal people that are utterly determined to be the best that they can be.

"If you look at Kelly's story in particular, she went through so much pain and injury and heartache but she never gave up and finally achieved her dream when she won two Olympic gold medals in Athens at 34-years-old when everyone had written her off.

"This gives off a fantastic message that it is not just about being the best you can be in sport, but about being the best you can be in life.

"It is something I say a lot but that is because it is something I passionately believe.

"Sport is a great visual illustration of that for young females and such a superb metaphor to give them confidence in all walks of life."

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