To celebrate International Women’s Day I am delighted to share with you this conversation I had with three powerhouse female leaders who I get the pleasure of working with in my day job! I am joined in this podcast with Kirstie Donnelly MBE, our City & Guilds Chief Executive; Fenella Tallon, Chief Assessor for our Princess Royal Training Awards and; Faiza Khan MBE, our Executive Director for Corporate Affairs and Foundation.
In the conversation my lovely guests explored with me why it’s important to celebrate women in the workplace, why personal growth through learning and development is important, how they’ve overcome obstacles and what advice they have for younger women who are navigating career challenges.
What does International Women’s Day mean to me?
On a personal level, and as a a busy, working mum who solo parents half the week, the 2025 theme of “Accelerating Action” or International Women’s Day really resonates with me. It embodies the drive and determination I strive to instil in my 6 year old daughter, hoping she sees me working hard and therefore has a good work ethic herself – something I know I have because I have been surrounded in my life by hard working women! Being a present mum is incredibly important to me, but it is just one part (albeit big) of my identity.
Balancing my role as a parent with my professional life is a daily challenge, but it’s one I embrace wholeheartedly. I love working for a purpose-driven organisation that values both my contributions as an employee and my responsibilities as a parent. This balance is worth its weight in gold, as it allows me to be both a good parent and a good employee.
“Accelerating Action” means pushing for progress in all areas of life, ensuring that women like me can thrive both at home and in the workplace. It calls for employers to recognise the unique challenges faced by women, and in my case working mums,
so that we can be part of creating environments where we can succeed without sacrificing our personal lives. This theme encourages us to advocate for policies that support work-life balance, such as flexible working hours and parental leave.
For me, “Accelerating Action” is about setting an example for my daughter. It’s about breaking down barriers and challenging societal norms that often limit women’s potential. By accelerating action, we can create a world where women are empowered to achieve their full potential in every aspect of their lives.
I am lucky day in and day out in my job to work with some really inspirational women both within my direct Foundation team, but also outside of our organisation. This includes leaders from organisations we have funded like Sally Eley of CIPD Trust and Beverly Brooks of The Recruitment Junction, who both advocate for equal opportunities for people with criminal convictions. We also collaborate with award-winning programme leaders like Raquel Noboa of Fifty Shades Greener and Daksha Stancilas of Pret A Manger.
And we are, of course, supported by experts like Professor Amanda Kirby who has been instrumental on educating us when it comes to neurodiversity, but also working with us to ensure that more people are aware of this work and supported to make changes for the better, or Carmen Watson who is one our Foundation Committee members but also a sounding board for us, acting as a critical friend – providing us with advice and guidance as required.
There are so many women I get the pleasure of working with, too many to mention(!), and I love that International Women’s Day gives us an opportunity to stop and think about those women who have inspired us to be better, and do better