Today, to celebrate International Women’s Day, we asked women in the REAL. Leadership community what this annual event means to them. International Women’s Day has been celebrated every year since 1911. Its two-fold message now remains the same as when it was started – to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, but also to mark a call to action for accelerating gender parity. But what does it mean to you?
“It is a welcome opportunity to celebrate the amazing women, both in our lives and around the world, who show courage, strength and determination in the daily fight for equality. We are reminded to use what platform and privilege we each have to lift each other up and stand united against injustice. It also happens to be the birthday of one of the most influential women in my life (Happy Birthday Mum!).” Jenny Raynolds, Founder, Carduelis Solutions.
“IWD is a reminder to celebrate how far we’ve come, and a motivator to keep on pushing for more.” Linsay Duncan,
“I love that IWD is for men and women alike, everyone is welcome! Today we celebrate women everywhere, and remember the ongoing challenges facing our international sisters. Today we #EmbraceEquity.” Clare Facey, Head of Marketing, REAL. Leadership Consultancy
“On the one hand I like the idea of celebrating women and the progress we’ve made over the decades and more recently – for example in terms of destigmatising women’s bodies – on the other hand the very existence of International Women’s Day reminds me of how far we still are from reaching true equality.” Sabine Stork, Senior Partner & Owner, Thinktank
“On IWD 2023 I’m proud to work with some incredible female leaders, across the world. Today is a day that we reflect on gender equality, but it is not a female issue, it’s a social and economic imperative. It’s vital that we are all working together for a united goal. According to BoardEx Data only about 28.2% of board members are female and only 5% of CEOs and 19.2% of corporate leadership team members are female.
The best way to move conversations to action is to include all of us in the equation. I’m looking forward to working with some amazing female leaders today, as I do every day.” Steve Charlton, Founder, The REAL. Leadership Consultancy
#IWD2023 #embraceequity
