When Paula McLean made a $1 million donation to the Stella Prize in 2021, she was faced with a tough decision – keep it to herself, or promote it in the hopes of inspiring more people to donate to women’s literature.

Until this point, Ms McLean – a former editor and the wife of ex-McKinsey and Company managing partner and private equity investor Rob McLean – had kept her philanthropy quiet. Like many other women, she had not been comfortable discussing wealth, or being in the spotlight.