celebrating international women's day with Morison Ksi

Our international network, Morison KSi, held their first International Women’s Day celebration webinar yesterday, across two attendee packed slots, the first at 8am and the second at 4pm. During these sessions, myself  and several female Fortus colleagues listened intently to a panel of Morison KSi women in leadership roles within the community from around the globe.  They shared their experiences, successes, challenges and hopes as they navigated their journey to the top of their profession.

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I caught up with the Fortus ladies who attended after the sessions had finished, to get their feedback and understand what they took away from the 2 hours. Here’s a snapshot of what they said…

Charlotte Hare:

“The particular quote that resonated with me was from Magdalene, “knowledge is power”, this is so true. No matter your gender, age or culture, nothing should stop you from learning, and once you’ve learnt something, no one can take that knowledge away from you.”

Hayley Tait:

“It was such a mood lifting experience to see so many professional women saying the same things I think daily. It makes you realise you really aren’t alone! What I particularly took away from this, was the importance of balance between your professional and personal life. I do sometimes forget there needs to be balance, and I should work harder at it.”

Debbie Ince:

Make time for yourself. A good leader’s balanced in work and life – something I need to work at for myself and also encourage in others.

Laura O’ Regan:

I feel super buzzed after that! Wow, what an empowering community, one which champions incredible voices of female leaders, particularly as we celebrate International Women’s Day. It was refreshing to be able to relate to some of the challenges other women in business face and to find peace in knowing we’re all in this together.

Louise McGowan:

I was humbled by the very accomplished and diverse panel of women who had invaluable advice based on years of experience. The points that really resonated with me were to ‘be your own cheerleader’, make sure you take care of yourself, have a work life balance, and finally, that it’s been proven that a diverse work place will be a more successful work place. It’s clear we’re collectively not where ‘we’ need to be, but that strong women such as these are paving the way for us all.

Vicky Barnes:

Attending the event was really inspiring. The advice that particularly struck a chord for me was to not lose your own identity, – learn from leaders and mentors, but capitalise on your differences. As someone who isn’t naturally confident, and therefore found putting myself forward for the ForUs Board something of a personal challenge, it was a good reminder that everyone has something different to offer. Diversity in people and personalities is more valuable than putting together a group of people who all think alike; and therefore, it’s important to stay true to yourself.

Emma Queen:

Hearing from female business leaders in Germany, Belgium, Kuwait, Singapore, Australia…. the list goes on, but interestingly, the challenges experienced by women in business all over the world are very similar.

Some key takeaways for me were:

– True leaders create more leaders.
– A growth mindset’s key to success.
– There’s value in having a positive approach to communication.
– The importance of confidence in situations where you may be underestimated.

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So, as you can see, my colleagues took a lot away from the session they attended. For me, listening to all the speakers today certainly made me reflect on female role models I’ve come across in both my personal life and career to date.

My female role models today are often way younger than me – strong, bright resilient young women who work hard and who have strong values. Their energy in overcoming adversity’s electric. The courage and conviction they show in support of their fellow women – standing up and speaking out, with fearless humanity – putting the heart and soul of who they are, into everything they do. This is what drives me, and empowers me to be the best I can be.