Accelerating Action: Women Leaders Share Their Best Advice for IWD

This International Women’s Day, we asked inspiring female leaders and experts to share their top insights on how we can accelerate action for women in the workplace. From setting boundaries to driving real change in leadership and DEI, here are their powerful takeaways.

The science and tech industries have historically been male-dominated. What is one practical step women can take to break barriers and accelerate their success in these fields?

One of the most important skills for career growth is knowing how to say no. Too often, I see women say yes to everything they’re asked—maybe to fit in, be helpful, or support the team. But many of these tasks don’t align with their career goals, meaning they spend valuable time on things that don’t actually move them forward.

Of course, giving back is important—be a mentor, contribute, and support others—but don’t feel obligated to take on everything. For example, if you genuinely want to organize the company picnic, go for it! But if it’s not helping you progress in your career, it’s okay to say no.

I always encourage people to write down their career goals and use them as a filter for decision-making. If something doesn’t align, don’t be afraid to decline. One simple strategy I used was keeping a whiteboard in my office listing all my current commitments. When someone asked me to take on something extra, I’d say:

"Of course, I’d love to help! Here’s my current workload—what should I remove to fit this in?"

More often than not, people would realize it wasn’t as important as they thought and handle it themselves.

Resilience is often seen as ‘bouncing back,’ but true resilience is more than that. What’s one practical strategy women can use to actively build resilience in the face of setbacks?

I don’t buy that definition of resilience at all. No one feels bouncy when they’re wading through tough times or dealing with uncertainty— no room for Tigger here! And we don’t ‘go back’ either! These big life challenges change us, we learn, adapt and grow from them. However, there is one powerful way to boost your resilience by looking backwards...that’s through what we call our self-efficacy. So, self-efficacy-your confidence you can handle whatever comes your way-is built on past experience. Grab a piece of paper and ask yourself: Who and what have helped me cope with tough times before? Make that list now! When you recognise the strengths and strategies that have helped you cope before, you build the belief that you can do it again. And that’s what I call PRESILIENCE!

Women from diverse backgrounds often face additional barriers to leadership. What’s one key action businesses and policymakers can take to ensure true equity in opportunities and representation?

The theme for this year's International Women’s Day emphasises the need to accelerate action. Often, when we think about people from diverse backgrounds, we consider gender and ethnicity, but diversity also includes factors like age, socioeconomic background, education, and physical ability. These elements can all impact whether someone reaches leadership positions.

Research shows that boards and leadership teams have made progress in diversity, but there is still a long way to go. Hiring systems typically rely on historically familiar sources and select candidates based on past patterns, which disadvantages people from diverse backgrounds.

One key action businesses and policymakers can take is to implement mentorship and sponsorship programs. For those from diverse backgrounds aspiring to leadership roles, it can be difficult to envision themselves in those positions. Mentors and sponsors help by:

✔ Building networks that may not otherwise be accessible.
✔ Providing guidance and support in accessing career opportunities.
✔ Opening doors to leadership roles that might otherwise be out of reach.

As these individuals move into leadership and governance roles, they not only act as role models but also demystify leadership pathways for others like them, creating a wider, more diverse leadership pipeline.

Mentorship and sponsorship are key ways to accelerate action and drive lasting change.

Many organisations talk about DEI as a business necessity in the evolving workplace, but real change is often slow. What is one concrete action businesses can take right now to accelerate real progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion?

I think one concrete action businesses can take if it's a bit slow, is to change the approach and look at it through a different lens. DEI is not just a moral and social imperative it is a business necessity.

In this evolving workplace we need to innovate, adapt and thrive. Diverse teams Drive Innovation

What change do you want to see in the industry to ensure women’s time, skills, and expertise are properly valued—and how can we accelerate action to make that a reality?

In our industry, clients invest in speakers to create impact, shift thinking, and inspire action. Now I never want to be asked for a speaker to do something for free that's just awful haha but when it does - there’s an unconscious bias at play—while it's rare for male speakers to be asked to speak for free, women are asked ten times more often. That needs to change.

I also want to see a mind shift from 'tick-boxing'—including female speakers just to meet a quota. We don’t need to tick boxes. We have incredible, world-class wahine presenters across every category, chosen not because they’re women, but because they are among the best.

We need to accelerate It’s looooong past time that men and women are valued for their expertise and impact their ability to inspire —regardless of gender, race, or any other factor. True progress happens when talent is recognised for what it is, without bias.