Stories of Women Who Lead: H.E. Dalia Grybauskaitė

Dalia Grybauskaitė served as President of Lithuania from 2009 to 2019, leading the country through the aftermath of the global financial crisis, strengthening Lithuania’s position in the European Union and NATO, and becoming one of Europe’s most prominent voices on democracy, security, and resistance to authoritarianism. Elected as an independent candidate with overwhelming public support, she brought to the presidency a background in economics, public finance, and European governance. 

In conversation with Laura Liswood, Secretary-General of the Council of Women World Leaders, and young leader Elmira Abenova for the Stories of Women Who Lead series, Grybauskaitė reflects on leadership as responsibility rather than ambition, the discipline required to withstand gendered scrutiny, and the inseparable link between women’s rights, democratic resilience, and national purpose.

Leadership as Responsibility, Not Ambition

When asked how she became a leader, President Grybauskaitė begins with a striking answer: “I never wanted to be any kind of leader.”

Her path to the presidency was not built around personal ambition, party machinery, or a lifelong dream of office. It emerged from history. Lithuania was rebuilding itself after Soviet occupation, and her generation, as she explains, was given the chance to build a new country. She found herself on the front lines of that transformation.

“I was just not afraid to take responsibility,” she says. That sense of responsibility became central to her leadership. In 2009, as Europe faced a deep economic crisis and Lithuania’s GDP dropped by 14%, Grybauskaitė stepped forward. As a doctor of economics, former Finance Minister, and European Commissioner for Financial Programming and the Budget, she believed she had the expertise and duty to help.

There was no traditional campaign, no party backing, and no major financial machine. She was elected with more than 80% of the vote. For Grybauskaitė, this trust came precisely because she was independent. “People trusted that I was coming to help the country and not do anything else.”

Refusing to Be Treated as “Just a Woman”

Grybauskaitė entered office in a conservative, predominantly Catholic country as a woman without a family or children, something she describes as a “triple difficulty.” She was aware of the expectations placed on her, and of the way women in power are often reduced to appearance, marital status, or gendered assumptions.

Yet she refused to allow those narratives to define her presidency.

In the first month of office, she recalls a photojournalist lying on the ground to photograph her legs as she stepped out of a car. From then on, she made deliberate choices to minimize visual commentary: trousers instead of skirts, navy blue clothing, and a consistent and understated appearance.

Her goal was simple: “People would stop talking about how I look, but start talking and thinking about what I do.”

Within six months, she says, the commentary shifted. The press stopped focusing on her appearance and began focusing on her actions. For Grybauskaitė, this was not about denying gender, but about refusing to let gender frame how her leadership was interpreted. “I wanted to delete this [gender frame] immediately,” she says, “and not to treat me as just a woman, but treat me as just a president.”

Democracy and Women’s Rights Are Inseparable

One of the central themes of the conversation is Grybauskaitė’s warning that the status of women cannot be separated from the health of democracy.

“I think it is more of a response to democratic governance,” she says when asked about global attitudes toward gender equality. “Democracy is directly related to women’s rights and position.”

In her view, the erosion of democratic values worldwide has direct consequences for women. As populist and autocratic tendencies grow, women’s rights become more vulnerable. Autocratic systems, she argues, fear independent people: citizens with confidence, education, values, and the ability to think critically.

“A free personality is a threat to them,” she says.

For Grybauskaitė, attacks on women, universities, civil society, minorities, and independent thought are part of the same authoritarian logic. Autocracy seeks a population that is easier to rule: less active, less organized, and less confident in its own civic power.

The Digital Battlefield

Grybauskaitė also speaks urgently about technology, disinformation, and artificial intelligence. Lithuania’s geographic and political position has made these threats especially visible. Located near the war in Ukraine, the country faces constant cyber and informational attacks, negative narratives, and attempts to influence public opinion.

She warns that technology can be used to undermine democratic societies by spreading artificial narratives, amplifying extremism, and targeting vulnerable groups. Women, minorities, and democratic institutions often become the first targets.

Yet she is careful to frame the problem not only as an attack on women, but as an attack on democracy itself. “Democracy is a danger in general for the autocrats,” she says. “And women are, of course, a minority, so they are becoming the first target.”

For leaders navigating this environment, Grybauskaitė emphasizes resilience and discipline. During her presidency, she avoided reading media commentary directly. Instead, her advisers informed her of the facts. This allowed her to avoid absorbing the negative emotion behind attacks and preserve clarity in decision-making.

Purpose, Identity, and the Next Generation

The second half of the interview becomes an intergenerational exchange. When Elmira Abenova asks President Grybauskaitė about advice for young people, the conversation turns unexpectedly toward purpose, homeland, and identity.

Grybauskaitė asks directly: What is the meaning of your life? What are you studying for? What will you do with your knowledge?

For her generation, shaped by Soviet occupation and the struggle to rebuild national independence, the homeland was not an abstract idea. “For me, Lithuania is more important than my own personal life and my own career,” she says. “No matter what, I will stay in my country and fight for my country.”

She challenges young people who study abroad to think beyond education as an individual achievement. Knowledge, she argues, is not enough without values, direction, and a strategic goal. The danger is to keep preparing forever, believing one is never ready, until life passes by.

“In life, it is important to have a purpose and sense,” she says. “You need to have purpose, why are you doing this?”

Knowledge Is Not Enough

Reflecting on her own youth, Grybauskaitė describes studying political economy in St. Petersburg during Soviet times. To do so, she had to work in a factory while studying, enduring difficult conditions in order to gain access to education outside Lithuania.

Out of 53 people in her class, she says, she was the only one from another city who finished the studies. That experience gave her not only academic knowledge but also self-confidence and life experience.

This distinction matters deeply to her. In an age when information can be instantly retrieved through artificial intelligence, she warns that knowledge alone is not power. What matters is the ability to receive, analyze, and use information.

“The ability to use information gives you power.”

The Stories of Women Who Lead interview series, with interviewer Laura Liswood, Secretary General of the Council builds on decades of work by the Secretary General and the Council of Women World Leaders to document the experiences of women who have reached the highest levels of political leadership. By capturing these conversations, the series seeks to preserve the insights, challenges, and lessons learned from women presidents and prime ministers around the world.