Sarah Jennings - VIC Sales Representative (Australia)

It was both quite an honour, and somewhat a burden, to be asked to contribute to IWD. What should I write, what will others think, how will I be seen, will I be judged? Then I realised, isn’t that what IWD is all about...breaking the bias? Maybe there will be judgement, or some who will not see eye-to-eye with my opinion, but here I am - speaking out, being heard and standing strong and proud as a woman.

I am sharing my thoughts and views on what is such a minefield of both opinions and judgements. I am taking my own advice and leaning in to this one, clapping for all those who have come before, for those who are forging the way ahead and for those, like me, who are grateful. Times have certainly changed and there is infinitely more equality than 5 years ago, 20 years ago, 100 years ago…

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
A celebration of equality, of being heard, to thank and recognise those who paved the path that we are walking now. Most importantly to celebrate being a woman, in all her shapes and forms, in all industries and life roles.

What empowers you in your role or can you share a moment of pride from your career?
I’m very proud to have had wonderful mentors throughout my career who encouraged me to lean in, work hard, speak up and have the courage to stand out. Women in the workforce have always faced and overcome challenges, and now we carry on their legacy. Support from my colleagues empowers me in my role; we are a strong team who work together, regardless of gender, to get the job done. It is a joy to be embraced as an equal. I have been most proud when I have truly embraced and been successful doing what I am great at, as well as when I have been recognised for my hard work. That recognition has come from both male and female colleagues.

Who is your personal and public role model?
Both my parents are role models for me. My father had a solid work ethic and taught me to always question the status quo and strive for improvement. He gave me the confidence to approach others for information, or to seek help to achieve a goal. My mother was traditional in her child-raising and homemaking role. She taught me, gosh, so many wonderful and practical things...how to cook, to bake, to sew, to look after myself and be proud of my home and myself.

Both my mother and father gave me the confidence to believe in myself, however, there were so many other women in my life who influenced me. To name a few: my strict childhood ballet teacher who taught me discipline, my grade 4 teacher who encouraged my reading and writing, my year 7 and 8 French teachers who encouraged my curiosity in language and culture, and my childhood friends’ mothers, who loved me like their own.

From another perspective, I have loved watching courageous women, portrayed in movies and TV, break gender bias and highlight challenges (Mary Tyler Moore Show, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Iron Lady, Frida, Little Women, 9 to 5). These all showcase women who face their own challenges and break stereotypes.

My International Women’s Day message
We are wise and strong, we have an innate sense of intuition, and we are now embracing all our wonderful womanly attributes: our courage, our sensitivity, our bravery, our capabilities, our pride, our femininity, our strength, our intuition, our grace, our flexibility, our determination, our compassion.

I think it is very important to be a positive and encouraging influence on younger women so that they too, have the courage and strength to walk the path that we continue to pave for them. Remembering that it is not to create a gender divide but to encourage gender equality.

Jaya Anthony - Administrator (Middle East)

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
To me, International Women’s Day is a globally recognised day celebrating the historical, cultural and political achievements of women. The day supports the importance of taking action against gender inequality around the world.

What empowers you in your role or can you share a moment of pride from your career?
I feel empowered when my work ethics and strengths are accepted and used at my workplace.

Who is your personal and public role model?
My family role model is my father, who I admire for his integrity, discipline and compassionate nature. My public role model is Ratan Naval Tata, an Indian industrialist, philanthropist, and a former chairman of Tata Sons. He is a supporter of education, medicine and rural development.

My International Women’s Day message
Success doesn’t come easy and women never give up. Best wishes on International Women’s Day to all strong and dedicated women.

Hannah Jones - Junior Operations Manager (Bridgend)

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
It is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements by women, from not only a social aspect, but an economic, cultural, and political perspective. It is also an opportunity to raise awareness within the world of women’s equality.

What empowers you in your role or can you share a moment of pride from your career?
A moment of pride in my career would have to be working my way up to where I am today, especially in what can primarily be a male-orientated environment. Through hard work, dedication, and picking myself up when others try to knock me down, it has all been worth it to prove to myself and others that I can do it (all whilst going through the COVID pandemic and studying to complete my masters degree in Business MBA at the same time!)

Who is your personal and public role model?
My role model has to be my Mum! From a career perspective, she started at the bottom and worked her way up to director level within a global organisation. I have always looked up to her and admired her aspirations and determination, proving that anything is possible! From a personal perspective, she has been the one who has encouraged, supported and always pushed me to believe in myself! As she always tells me: "Reach for the moon and worst case, you will fall amongst the stars”.

My International Women’s Day message
As the saying goes, "Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think." Wishing a happy International Women's Day to all you strong, intelligent, beautiful, and independent women around the world!

Ann Fisher - Director, Board Member and General Manager (Apollo Park)

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day is about raising and highlighting issues that are still key to redressing balance and keeping society safe. These issues include work, fairness, and violence and abuse. The ratio of women in construction currently stands at 14%. This is a figure that remains challenging and doesn't reflect a progressive industry, especially one where skills and people shortages impact significantly. Positive active promotion of opportunities for women remains an area for significant progress.

Misogyny, coercive behaviours, abuse & violence all continue to be areas where we need to have more discussions, as well as open and transparent awareness of unacceptable behaviours. As a society, we need to build awareness and an understanding of signs of abuse, create safe places for women to find support, and most importantly, build cultural changes through discussion and education of unacceptable behaviours. We need to ensure men are challenged by men and women about unacceptable actions. Issues raised by recent investigations in the Met police illustrate how deeply embedded some behaviours are!

What empowers you in your role or can you share a moment of pride from your career?
I was raised in a Northern Industrial town in an environment that was about proving myself to be seen as an equal, which meant being 50% better. It was resilience and determination that drove me, however it was supported early in my career by a Director that positively supported bringing in women into engineering steel managerial posts – that belief & support was vital and I worked hard to ensure I delivered.

Who is your personal and public role model?
A major female role model is the Queen, who has an iconic position in women's history through showing leadership. Within the industry we work in, the women I have worked alongside that I see as role models are: Angela Mansell (Managing Director of Mansell Building Solutions), Jeanette Russell (Area Sales Manager of British Gypsum for the North West), and Jackie Cotton (Human Resources Manager of Galaxy Insulation and Dry Lining Limited). These are women who represent females in construction!

My International Women’s Day message
My thoughts are to share that we all need to be mindful of what behaviours are right, and educate our children, share with our colleagues and integrate this into our daily life. International Women’s Day is an opportunity to reshare that equality on all levels and this should be achieved. However, it all starts with how we teach and build the enabling culture to challenge poor behaviours and actions, and support women with a fair, progressive society – this should not be one day but every day!

Carolin Bakowski - Marketing Specialist (Reading)

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
Celebrating Women's Day is very popular where my family is from. When I think of the women in my family - my Mother and Grandmother - it always feels like they're the glue that holds the family together. I think appreciating women is a wonderful gesture. I like to remind myself that being a woman means something…it implies a lot and it's so important to take some time to reflect on that, whether it's positive or negative. For instance, it's valuable to remember that women in history have paved the way for us to be here today - what does this mean for us as women in the 21st century, as well as for me in my everyday life?

What empowers you in your role or can you share a moment of pride from your career?
I am aware there are obviously inequalities between men and women in the world we live in. I must admit, however, that I always felt the women surrounding me were all quite free in their choices, therefore I always felt supported. I had a unique and very lucky experience, one that I do not take for granted, as within the industries I worked in and the variety of jobs such as marketing agencies, there were a large number of female employees. In all my jobs, I was surrounded by male or female co-workers or managers who never made the difference in gender a problem. My first boss was male and there was never any difference that was felt between men and women during my time there. I am lucky in the sense that my experience was slightly different, and inequality in the workplace and in life was not something I had to deal with much. Because I was surrounded by these examples of strong, hard-working men and women, they set the bar high for how I felt I wanted to live my life, what my values were, and how I perceived inequality and inclusivity. These individuals also pushed me to work harder in the roles that followed and do well in my career.

Who is your personal and public role model?
My family role models are my Mum and my Grandma. In terms of commitment, my Grandma has sacrificed so much in her life and I really look up to her. She risked her life to smuggle paperwork to Italy so my parents, who fled Poland, could get married in Vatican. She was looking after my sick Grandpa all by herself for a long time, taking on the difficult responsibility despite her own health issues. I know I can always get good advice from my Grandma and she's definitely the smartest one in our family.

My public role model is Betty White. She never did what people expected her to do, and modelled inclusive leadership through her words and actions, which is what I love about her. Despite a lot of criticism for including a black male tap dancer in her show in the 50’s, she continued to employ Arthur Duncan and is famed for replying, “live with it” to naysayers. She was a big advocate for equality. For years, she supported the LGBTQ community and she was also a tireless and devoted animal welfare activist. She knew how to have a good time and not take herself too seriously. She also had a heightened awareness of the bigger picture, and had the same persistence and care for others that my Grandma has.

I also really admire Neri Oxman, an American-Israeli designer and professor at the MIT Media Lab. As an architect, she spends time investigating materials and has a multi-disciplined team. She has an incredibly endless and almost childlike curiosity, has strong leadership skills and is a powerful businesswoman. 

My International Women’s Day message
"Self-knowledge is no guarantee of happiness, but it is on the side of happiness and can supply the courage to fight for it" - (Simone de Beauvoir).

Teri Anderson - International Sales Support (Reading)

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
It provides us with the opportunity to reflect on, and celebrate, the many positive changes that have occurred to create equality, as well as the sacrifices made to allow me to work in what’s considered a male dominated field. It's given me the feeling of being valued and respected in my role.

What empowers you in your role or can you share a moment of pride from your career?
My life and career have been focused on empowerment. I work hard in everything I do and take great pride in my achievements. I like to know that I make others around me feel the same. I believe those around me know that I don’t beat round the bush and I will say what’s on my mind without hesitation.

Who is your personal and public role model?
I am going to be a little cliché by saying my Mother is my greatest role model. She sacrificed a lot to allow me to be where I am today, working and studying while looking after my brother and I. She worked tirelessly in a very male-dominated environment in the mining industry in South Africa, where even today there is a huge gap in equality. She worked her way up from an administrative role, going on to run a manufacturing plant at her company. She was overseeing hundreds of employees who, in her retirement, still actively contact her as she is well-respected and liked.

My International Women’s Day message
Never sacrifice who you are to please others. You are strong.