International Women's Day 2020

To distill the many women I know and admire down to one for the ThoughtSpot International Women’s Day blog was incredibly difficult. I’m lucky to be surrounded, especially in the late(r) stages of my career, with some truly remarkable women and the majority of those have been since I joined ThoughtSpot. When I started out in sales almost 25 years ago, I worked in male dominated industries where I didn’t have many female colleagues or counterparts to look to for mentorship or advice. I found that the women who inspired me when I was younger, like my mum, were indicative of the ones that founded this country: strong, formidable country women working the land, who wouldn’t bow to any pressure put upon them by anyone, man or woman. They knew that to traverse adversity, you had to roll up your sleeves, bare your teeth, and just get on with it. It's important to celebrate all of the women that inspire us to live our truth; be they family members, friends, colleagues, famous figures or even strangers. Together, with diversity of thought and our individual uniqueness, we can continue to create a gender equal world.

In Australia we have been blessed to have some truly trailblazing women forging the way for women’s rights and equality. From Mary Lee and Catherine Helen Spence, two leading suffragists and social reformers, whose successful lobbying resulted in South Australia being the first electorate in the world to give equal political rights to both men and women; to Dr Elizabeth Scott, Indigenous rights activist and social justice campaigner who was one of the leading champions in the historic 1967 referendum, in which more than 90% of voters elected to remove discriminatory references to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from the Australian Constitution; to Julie Bishop, whose successes and achievements as the first ever female Australian Foreign Minister will go down in the annals of history. She always conducted herself with incredible class and was known for her kindness and strength as a leader. It was her fierce intellect and steely resolve that helped her successfully tackle some of Australia's toughest international events, like the Malaysian Airlines tragedy. She unapologetically shamed Russia over their lack of cooperation, yet still managed to successfully negotiate access to the MH17 crash site to help deliver justice for the families.

Today, on International Women’s Day, I want to acknowledge the women in my network who are all trailblazers in their own right. I am in awe of each and every one of you. Thank you for those that are with me on a daily basis and give me that much needed boost, advice or kick up the arse when I need it. I want you to know that I'm here for you too. I will stand beside you, or if you're unable to stand on your own, I will stand for you. I will advocate on your behalf, fight against stereotypes, biases and try to improve your situation and always celebrate your achievements.

"Feminism isn't about making women stronger, women are already strong, it's about changing the way the world perceives that strength"

― G.D Anderson

To my daughter who is traversing the world of work for the first time: while I thought we would be much further along in gender equality by the time you reached this stage, don’t worry, it is getting better, the metrics are moving. I have no doubt you will smash every glass ceiling that’s put in your way, if that’s what you want. Your strength is a gift and your potential endless. Never let anyone dampen your ferocity. 

“You're braver than you think, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

― Christopher Robin Winnie the Pooh

Lastly, but by no means least, I want to thank all of the men in my life who are my true supporters and mentors. Men like my dad, who told me I could do and be anything I wanted without restrictions or barriers. Without all of you, the journey would be that much harder and the gap that much larger.

Happy International Women's Day!

#EachforEqual #IWD #InternationalWomensDay2020