In celebration of talented women
This week talented women have taken centre stage for me. And I am delighted by this because across the world women aren’t always as celebrated in the workplace as they should be, and I want to do my small part in redressing that balance through this blog.
I am lucky to be surrounded by so many strong and talented females in my work and personal life. My mum for sure is a force to be reckoned with; kind and compassionate, with her own strong voice and opinions. I have wonderful female friends who have made their mark in the world of work, sport and life in general. I have nieces and great nieces who are the generations growing up and becoming individuals in their own right, pure potential. In the workplace I have strong female colleagues, former colleagues and my wider network who inspire me on a daily basis.
However, not everyone is fortunate to draw on such inspiration from others, and I was reminded of this at an event I participated in yesterday.
I excitedly leapt out of bed and got ready for a fantastic day. Having grabbed a double espresso I made my way to the London Science museum where an event centred on Diversity and Innovation was being hosted and I was delivering a keynote speech to. I happily admit that the science museum is a favourite place to visit on occasion so this also added to the enjoyment of the day. I was sitting jaw open listening to the inspirational women telling their stories. The audience was full of young women who were already doing great things and full of potential.
My reminder that despite what personal tough times I might have faced there are so many that have a life many times harder. I listened in awe as Dr Chandana Battacharya spoke via a Teams link from India about the work that she and her team do via their NGO, nongovernmental not for profit enterprise. This work is focused on helping young Indian women in rural areas prepare for work, find them work and sponsor education. They have just had their first six young women graduate from universities, young women where there have been no women previously ever going to university in their villages. I was inspired.
The morning flew by. I shared my story as a woman in Tech and our story as Nash Squared. I was proud to represent us all, it felt like every one of us from around the world were standing shoulder to shoulder with me as I spoke. It’s powerful when we stand together, I really believe there isn’t anything that will defeat us, we just go from strength to strength.
On Monday this week we announced the acquisition of Het Flexhuis in the Netherlands. One of the two founders, Frederieke Schmidt Crans leads this business and every one of the team are women. Melanie Hayes and I flew out to meet with them in Amsterdam on Tuesday this week.
I had met Frederieke many times during the acquisition process and when I met her team it was to the shake the hands of one strong and talented woman after another. I left Amsterdam that evening smiling from ear to ear knowing that each of them have thrived in Het Flexhuis over the past years and within the culture of Nash Squared they can only go from strength to strength. We have such a wonderful cultural fit. It’s truly exciting.
As we head towards the end of the working week I am truly grateful for the people in my working and personal life. To be surrounded with such talented people really is a blessing and not something I will ever take for granted.
Keep safe and well.