International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

For me it’s not about gender per se. It’s about being heard, valued and equal.

I’ve always seen myself as ‘in business,’ not ‘a woman in business’. Gender is part of who I am, but it does not define my ambition or my work. And yet, it’s impossible to ignore the subtle, unintentional biases and jokes that still shape our experiences.

These experiences are not just broadly felt. They are also learned from the world I grew up in. My own mother, born in 1940, struggled to picture career women working outside the home. That influenced how I saw myself for years. We have moved forward, but there is still ground to cover.

The facts remind us why confidence, authenticity and presence in the room still matter.

In the UK, the gender pay gap for full time employees remains close to 8 per cent, and it widens significantly in senior and higher paid roles. At executive level, women are still underrepresented. While progress has been made on boards, women hold only a small proportion of chief executive roles in the UK’s largest companies.

At the same time, women continue to take on the (majority) of unpaid caring responsibilities, managing the logistics & admin of the young & elderly – often needing to reduce ‘work’ hours to facilitate. That unpaid work is still work. It requires leadership, resilience, organisation and emotional intelligence. And this is precisely why women should be paid the top level, and have the top jobs. Value is value. Work / life balance is just life.

This is not about complaint. It is about fairness and being valued.

Organisations are stronger when women are included at every level because diversity of thought leads to better decisions. Studies consistently show that companies with more gender and mixed balanced leadership teams outperform those without. They report stronger financial returns, stronger innovation and healthier cultures. When leadership reflects a broader mix of experience and perspective, blind spots reduce and decision making improves. Businesses also better understand the people they serve.

So here is what I want to say to the women I know, work with and admire:

Be confident. Speak clearly. Do not shrink yourself to make others comfortable.
Be authentic. Your perspective is valuable because it is yours.
Take your seat at the table and own it.

And this is what I say to men:

Challenge yourself and others when something is dismissed as “just a joke”. If it undermines someone, it is not harmless.

Look at your board, your leadership team, your hiring panels. Are they mixed? If not, ask why. Then do something about it.

Imagine what it would feel like if you had you had been told you were only supposed to do certain jobs. If the spaces you now lead were once closed to you. How would that shape your confidence?

In meetings, notice your habits. Do not interrupt. Do not talk over women. It still happens, far more than people realise. Listen, take a breath and create space for discussion.

We are not on opposing sides.

We are all in business together.

Image: Sarina Wiegman’s post-match quote praising Lucy Bronze, at UEFA Women’s European Championship 2022. The England Women’s team went on to win the title!

This image and quote is blooming fantastic. It’s inspirational and inspiring. To think, the year I was born women were only then officially allowed to compete professionally in football, in England!