International Women’s Day
On 8th March, we celebrate International Women’s Day; a day that marks the achievements of women across the world and acts as a call to action to accelerate women’s equality.
We wanted to shine a light on some of the amazing women that make up the Consilient Health team. We spoke to four members of the team and to find out why it’s important to champion women in the workplace and learn about the barriers and challenges they’ve personally experienced.
Hear more about their stories and words of inspiration in the video below:
All the women we spoke to agreed that diversity in the workplace was important.
“If you get diversity right at work, you get a significant uplift in collective intelligence that leads to better innovation,” explains Amanda Paxon, Country Manager UK.
Juliet Boateng, Responsible Person and RPi agrees. “Diversity has been shown to boost creativity and allow for more informed decision making,” she says.
Juliet also thinks lifting other women up in the workplace is crucial. “It is very important for female empowerment to be an aspect in your personal and professional walk of life. You should be able to have a community of women who share in your joy and can offer help on tackling any barriers.”
Deirdre Kelly, Country Manager Republic of Ireland speaks of the importance of creating a positive culture that supports women at particular stress points in their lives. “This is particularly true where a woman is raising very young children or dealing with the menopause,” she says.
Jeanette Spinnars, Strategic Marketing Manager Europe also agrees with this. “There’s a misconception that women can’t have careers if they have children or are single mothers. Leaders should encourage a good work/life balance, showing it’s possible to combine a career with having children.”
So, with this in mind, how is Consilient Health stacking up when it comes to addressing diversity in the workplace?
“Over recent years, Consilient Health have put in place various initiatives, expert sessions and policies to not only champion women in the organisation but also to support the progression and wellbeing of all staff,” says Deirdre.
Juliet thinks that while the company is taking steps in the right direction, it needs to be an ongoing process. “In recent years, Consilient Health has been doing the groundwork to address issues such as mental health and fitness for employees. However, I believe there is still room for improvement in the promotion and encouragement of diversity and women in leadership roles,” Juliet says.
Jeanette speaks of the importance of mentors when encouraging women to pursue leadership roles. “Networks are really important. Led by women, for women. Female entrepreneurs and leaders can share their journey and act as mentors to women at the beginning of their careers.”
Finally, who are three inspirational women, dead or alive, that the team would like to have dinner with?
“My maternal great-great grandmother, Beyoncé and Yaa Asantewaa Queen Mother of the Ejisu in the Ashanti Empire,” says Juliet.
To find out who Amanda, Deirdre and Jeanette chose, watch the video below:
Learn more about International Women’s Day: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
View more news and events