International Women’s Day

It took me a long time pondering whether or not to write an article about International Women’s Day. As a man, I wanted to show my support, however, didn’t want it to come across as patronising or disingenuous. Please bear with and forgive me if it does come across in this manner, the intention is genuine and if this article doesn’t show that it’s down to my poor writing and communication skills.

I’ve had some really strong female influences in my life, my mother being one of them. I wanted to show my respect and appreciation to my mother and the support she has always given in my upbringing and how this shaped me as an adult.

Celebrating International Women’s Day can create political debates, but to me, it’s not stating that women are receiving preferential treatment to men – after all, we do have an International Men’s Day (19th November), but is just a way to acknowledge, recognise and show appreciation for a specific demographic of our society. 

Hopefully clarifying and getting the political aspect out of the way, I would like to share with you just some of the women for whom I have a tremendous amount of respect for.

Within my Business Network

• Becca Clancy - Venaspace
• Becki Prowse – P2S Travel / UW
• Cat Allison - Veeko
• Eleanor Stafford – Quay Media
• Hayley Parker – Flame Marketing
• Hayley Smith – Myriad
• Jade Scott – Your Partnerships Plymouth
• Sharon Vickery – Sharon Vickery VA
• Sue Cockayne – East Devon HR
• Tara Appleton – BBX Marketing

Female Business Leaders

• Ginni Rometty - IBM
• Lisa Su - AMD
• Lynsi Snyder – In-Out-Burger
• Maggie Timoney – Heineken
• Marillyn Hewson – Lockheed Martin
• Mary Barra – General Motors
• Safra Catz - Oracle
• Sheryl Sandberg – COO of Facebook
• Susan Wojcicki - YouTube
• Whitney Wolfe Herd - Bumble

Well-Known Female Figures

• Angela Merkel – Chancellor of Germany
• Christine Lagarde – President of the European Central Bank
• Ellen Ochoa – Engineer, Astronaut and Director of Johnson Space Center.
• Greta Thunberg – Climate Activist
• Jacinda Ardern – New Zealand Prime Minister
• Kamala Harris – USA Vice President
• Marie Curie - Scientist
• Melinda Gates – Co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Oprah Winfrey – Media Executive, Actress, Television, Producer and Philanthropist
• Queen Elizabeth II – UK Queen

Within my Personal Sphere

• My mum
• My daughter
• My best friend Rachel

As a final point, I would like to discuss a phrase that I hear a lot. “A strong, independent woman.” Quite often this is associated with women who are visibly and vocally proud of their accomplishments. What I wanted to highlight are those who are perhaps not quite so loquacious, who may not wish to draw attention to their achievements. Sometimes because they are not always comfortable with being in the spotlight and sometimes it’s because they are not aware or don’t believe that they are deserving of such accolades. Not all strength is visible. I find that more often than not, those that don’t shout the loudest are those that carry the greater burdens. They carry on with their own trials and tribulations with a particular kind of strength, being there for others more than they are for themselves.

To all women, but particularly to those who may not realise their own strength and the impact that they have on others, thank you. You are recognised and vastly appreciated.