To mark International Women’s Day on 8 March 2020, HUSTLE + hush spoke to four female millennial thought-leaders and change-makers in the diversity and inclusion space.
Jacqueline, Jude, Lucy and Lucie discuss below the focus of their own work, share examples of fellow millennial women who champion other women and offer advice for all of us as millennial leaders about what we can embrace in 2020 to do our bit to have a positive impact on the world around us…
In a sentence or two, please could you tell us what your focus is with your blog and advocacy work, especially as it relates to diversity and inclusion for women?
The focus of my blog is to discuss diversity and inclusion topics, and initiatives from the voice of a millennial.
I want to challenge the way organisations and governments address these issues and provide alternatives in terms of engaging the younger generations and getting the message to the C suite individuals by speaking their language and helping them understand the financial impact on their firms.
How do you interpret the 2020 theme for International Women’s Day; #EachForEqual?
Women still are not paid the same as men for doing the same job and in many countries are still not afforded the same rights as men, whether they be legal or human rights. #EqualForEqual is about raising awareness and challenging these ideals to make the world more equal and balanced.
One of the focuses for IWD is to “champion women of all backgrounds who dare to innovate, lead, and uplift others towards a more equal and inclusive workplace”. Which millennial women do you think fit this description?
Anne-Marie Imafidon, the Co-Founder of Stemettes, an organisation that encourages young women to pursue further education and careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Stemettes is a fantastic organisation that provides mentoring to young women and holding events teaching young girls to code and encouraging these skills. I am a huge advocate of this and seeing more women enter these industries, stay there and make it to the top! I am also proud to be a Stemette mentor
The IWD theme for 2020 is drawn from a notion of ‘Collective Individualism’. Meaning that we are all parts of a whole and our individual actions, conversations, behaviours and mindsets can have an impact on our larger society. What advice do you have for other millennial leaders for what they could embrace in 2020 to do their bit?
Be brave. Speak up and support each other to challenge the norm and let our voices be heard.
In a sentence or two, please could you tell us what your focus is with Think with Jude, especially as it relates to diversity and inclusion for women?
I want to help organisations do business better by helping them build a solid pipeline of diverse female talent for senior leadership positions.
How do you interpret the 2020 theme for International Women’s Day; #EachForEqual?
It's about every person calling out practices that disadvantage another person. It's about each of us recognising the barriers that others face and helping to remove them. And most of all it's about each of us challenging systems that advantage us while pushing others down so that we ultimately all win.
One of the focuses for IWD is to “champion women of all backgrounds who dare to innovate, lead, and uplift others towards a more equal and inclusive workplace”. Which millennial women do you think fit this description?
Alexia Hilbertidou - founder of Girl Boss in NZ, helping young kiwi women get into business
Clare Sutcliffe & Kate Pljaskovova - co-founders of She Wins, helping women to negotiate better
The IWD theme for 2020 is drawn from a notion of ‘Collective Individualism’. Meaning that we are all parts of a whole and our individual actions, conversations, behaviours and mindsets can have an impact on our larger society. What advice do you have for other millennial leaders for what they could embrace in 2020 to do their bit?
Seek out thoughts and opinions that are different to your own. It's too easy to get stuck in bubble of only being exposed to ideas that are just like yours.
If we are going to create a more equal society we need to understand what it's like to be someone different to us.
In a sentence or two, please could you tell us what your focus is with The Humblebrag, especially as it relates to diversity and inclusion for women?
I am the founder of the Amsterdam-based, impact-driven thought leadership agency The Humblebrag. I champion business as a force for good and work to support business leaders and brands to take a stand on social, cultural and environmental issues.
As part of this work, I cast female leaders in the spotlight and support them to build a reputation as a bold and brave purpose-driven thought leader.
How do you interpret the 2020 theme for International Women’s Day; #EachForEqual?
Each for Equal speaks to me because I believe everyone in a position of privilege has the responsibility to acknowledge this privilege and put it to work in the service of others.
We need more male feminists; we need more recognition of the struggles that our coloured brothers and sisters face; we need to design experiences and services that are accessible to people with disabilities ~ the list goes on.
Each for Equal is a statement of inclusivity - we can all play a role in lifting someone else up!
One of the focuses for IWD is to “champion women of all backgrounds who dare to innovate, lead, and uplift others towards a more equal and inclusive workplace”. Which millennial women do you think fit this description?
Merida Miller, of Project Fearless, is a great millennial leader dedicated to inspiring young girls to become “fearless” through mind, body and movement after school courses
Nancy Poleon, of Branded U, is also a great (elder) millennial leader working to close the visibility gap - helping women to become recognized for their work
The IWD theme for 2020 is drawn from a notion of ‘Collective Individualism’. Meaning that we are all parts of a whole and our individual actions, conversations, behaviours and mindsets can have an impact on our larger society. What advice do you have for other millennial leaders for what they could embrace in 2020 to do their bit?
My advice to millennial leaders who want to make a positive impact in 2020 would be to take more risks to speak out and defend your values. Every time a female leader raises her voice, she inspires and paves the way for another woman to follow.
The world needs more feminine values, so I implore all women to stand up for what they believe in, claim their space, and help to shape a better world.
In a sentence or two, please could you tell us what your focus is with The Inclusive Branding Agency and Women in Foreign Policy (WIFP), especially as it relates to diversity and inclusion for women?
The Inclusive Branding Agency is about making sure marketing takes into account the whole of society. At WIFP we're on a mission to achieve a foreign policy workforce fully representative of contemporary society.
How do you interpret the 2020 theme for International Women’s Day; #EachForEqual?
We all have our bit to do to make sure the world is equal, not just for men, women and non-binary people, but also taking into account intersectionality.
One of the focuses for IWD is to “champion women of all backgrounds who dare to innovate, lead, and uplift others towards a more equal and inclusive workplace”. Which millennial women do you think fit this description?
Sheree Atcheson who works on D&I at Monzo is amazing.
Stacy-Marie Ishmael who just moved to the Texas Tribune is an ongoing inspiration.
As is Ruchika Tulshyan who works on D&I in Seattle.
The IWD theme for 2020 is drawn from a notion of ‘Collective Individualism’. Meaning that we are all parts of a whole and our individual actions, conversations, behaviours and mindsets can have an impact on our larger society. What advice do you have for other millennial leaders for what they could embrace in 2020 to do their bit?
Identify one area where you feel you can make a difference. The sheer volume of things to do to get to an equal world can be overwhelming, and in turn paralysing, so knowing where you're going to be able to have an impact is key.