Happy International Women's Rights Day!
As an act of celebration for our female members, Fosbury & Sons offered them the opportunity to capture their powerful portrait in a photoshoot. Whilst having them in front of the camera, we could not resist to pick their brilliant minds.
Read below their views on & experience of women in business.
Mailys Sahagun
IP lawyer & co-founder of Hype Law
What does International Women's Day mean to you personally?
To me it’s “International Women's Rights Day”. Despite some brands’ choice to commercialize this day, I don’t think it should be boycotted but instead used as a day of action, awareness-raising, and mobilization dedicated to the fight for women's rights, equality, and justice.
And hey, if men could step up to take on some of that activism, it’d be a refreshing break for us all ;)
Rebeka Bahadorani
CEO & founder of In-between International
What advice would you give to young women starting their careers?
Starting your career as a young woman can be both exciting and daunting. My advice would be to focus on your goals and aspirations, regardless of gender. Instead of dwelling on gender equity, let's unite in our endeavors and strive for excellence. Together, we can overcome any barriers and empower each other to reach our full potential without constraints. Embrace your strengths, be confident in your abilities, and pursue your dreams with determination and resilience.
Pauline Héraly
CEO of Air
How do you support and uplift other women in your life?
For me, in my role of CEO, mentorship is key. But it isn't just about sharing advice; It's about empowering each other to break through the glass ceiling, cross sectors, cross industries. About showing to everyone the power of men and women working closely together. About creating opportunities to help each other advance in our careers. It's also about levelling the playing field in industries that have long been dominated by men.
I celebrate each and every win that crosses one of these boxes. This gives me power, motivation and hope to see more gender equality and legitimacy the more I move forward in my career.
Ps: I’m very proud to say that we are gender equal at Air, at all level of responsibilities!
Fiona Groetaers
Partner at WATTS Green
What steps do you think can be taken to promote gender equality in the workplace?
An important (political) step would be to impose equal maternity and paternity leaves, as in the Nordic countries. In that way, a woman in her childbearing years would not be discriminated against men the same age. Typically in Sweden, the woman takes 0-6 months, and then the man 6-12 months. As a result, childcare starts at 12 months, which is more manageable for that industry as well.
Another step, at the company level, is to offer women more flexibility: Allowing women to temporarily reduce working hours (if needed and wanted) during the early childhood years, without compromising their whole careers. They will be even more motivated and energized during working hours when there is the possibility to go back to a full time job later, without compromising growth opportunities. In the end, with an average of 1.6 child per woman in Europe, this is a limited time in a 40+ years career and could prevent women giving up working, or go for lower-skilled jobs.
Putting in place a mentor system could also help women to deal with the very feminine "guilt" problem and to boost self-confidence, often lacking for women.
I also believe having women in leadership positions would help to make sure women's concerns, and ways of working, which might be misunderstood or unknown to men, are answered to properly.
Amandine Englebert
Founder of Innovative Sharing & CEO of 4Wings Foundation
What does International Women's Day mean to you personally?
For me International Women’s Day is a day to cover the following three topics: Gratitude for the powerful women before us, who fought with everything they had for our rights. Celebration for what we have accomplished ourselves and seeing it resonate in the world. Commitment to keep pushing for what we believe in, keeping in mind our daughters around the world.
Because so much is left to do to give voice to the unheard.
Polina Utsmiyeva
IT Recruitment Consultant at Doowings
How do you balance your personal and professional life?
I accepted that failing to balance my personal and professional life as a mother from time to time is OK. :)
Jokes aside, while striving to find that balance, good time management and organizational skills are crucial. Also, great support comes from my family, and on top of that, I know that I can rely on open communication with my management.
At Fosbury & Sons, we are very grateful to be inspired by these women on a daily basis.
We are committed to doing our part in supporting their missions by providing them with a work environment that inspires, empowers and feels like home at the same time.