International Women's Day 2021 – a message from our Director Jules

Why International Women’s Day is so important…

International Women’s Day is always an opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements and also to reflect on how far we’ve travelled on the long road to gender equality. Women are still chronically underrepresented in leadership roles and boardrooms and continue to face the issues of career breaks, lower salaries and inflexible working hours. Support for IWD is vital as it provides advocacy for what is still needed, and action to continue breaking down barriers.

At aXcelerate, we believe that real innovation that brings new ideas to benefit both business and society is only possible with the dismantling of barriers to women’s advancement. We live at an extraordinary, exciting time in history and while we have challenges, we also have enormous opportunities. To make this happen, we need equal representation from everyone. Men and women bring different sets of perspective, talent and ideas that need to be heard.

For change to occur, there needs to be a collective effort of all people in an organisation and not just the responsibility of the HR team.

I will say again, achieving equality is about collective action. Everyone, both men and women, need to play a role in changing the situation. Every decision that is made needs to be made with more inclusion and unity for all people, particularly women.

I am heartened by the talent of women moving into the STEM fields and supporting these women is paramount. At aXcelerate we support women through highly personalised career planning sessions, and in-house courses on how to develop assertiveness skills with a key focus on leadership pathways. We are also committed to building a culture of diversity and collaboration, and ways to enhance connection, empowerment and H.E.A.R.T.(honesty, empathy, acceptance, respect and trust).

In this morning’s office huddle, I described our business as having a feminist model – meaning we care about all genders having equal rights and opportunities. Today is specifically about respecting women's experiences, identities, knowledge and strengths, and striving to empower all women to realise their contribution to the workplace and society. International Women’s Day is a chance to shine a light on the issues that need focus, and today we have certainly seen many examples of that. Happy International Women’s Day!

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