International Women’s Day 2022
International Women’s Day
08 March 2022
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘Break the Bias’ – imagining a gender equal world. IWD has asked us to celebrate women’s achievement. In support, Istoria Group asked our female colleagues and friends to highlight the achievements of a female who has brought the world of women forward in some way.
Our guests nominated an individual of their choice with a public aspect to her activity – for example, an activist, artist, politician or entrepreneur and told us why they are celebrating them.
Read all about it below. Together we can #BreakTheBias.
Inspirational IWD contributors include:
we asked…
Who would YOU like to celebrate for International Women’s Day 2022 & why?
‘I am celebrating Kate Raworth for International Women’s Day 2022. Kate is an Oxford University economist and the author of ‘Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist’. In the book, Kate talks of a social foundation of wellbeing that no one should fall below - and an ecological ceiling of planetary pressure that we should not go beyond.
Reading this book was a turning point for me personally and came just as I was questioning my own business and its levels of sustainability. The book helped me reframe what I was doing and enabled me to start articulating my business model and principles with more consciousness and awareness.’
Ella Doran
Founder, Ella Doran Interiors,
RSA Fellow and Founder Member, URGE Collective
Instagram | Twitter | Linktree
‘There are so many extraordinary women worth celebrating. It is hard to single one out. If I must, I would say that Amanda Gorman, the young African-American poet and activist, deserves a spotlight. At only 24 years old, she is proving to be a true powerhouse of a woman and an embodiment of light, hope and promise of a better world - an embodiment of everything she calls for in her own poetry.
As many of you already know, her work addresses issues of gender inequality, racism, marginalisation, and climate change, amongst others. What is more, her advocacy comes in the form of art – that is, in the form of intelligent, beautiful and inspirational poems that carry her massage directly, from heart to heart.
With wisdom of an old soul and youthful enthusiasm and bravery, she sincerely inspires positive change. She has already filled pages of human history with insight, beauty, compassion and hope. As she says: “The way forward isn’t a road we take, The way forward is a road women make”. With women of the younger generation like her, the future looks bright.’
Tina Orsolic Dalessio
Artist & Law Professor
Paloma Marina, Regional Director Europe, WeConnect International
‘On International Women’s Day, I would like to celebrate Elizabeth Vazquez, the inspirational CEO and Co-Founder of WEConnect International – a global non-profit, driving money into the hands of women business owners that I’m very very proud to work for. Elizabeth helps to Break the Bias against women owned businesses and enabling them to compete in the global marketplace and connecting them to procurement teams who value a diverse value chain, the same as we do. Every day, Elizabeth inspires me by truly building towards a gender equal world. Thank you for all that you do.’
Paloma Marin
Regional Director Europe, WEConnect International
Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
‘My choice is the timeless FRIDA KAHLO whose relevance only grows with each passing year. Embraced as an icon of female strength, Frida’s influence deserves celebration.
She helped break the bias of a single ideal of female beauty. Her unflinching depiction of her own flaws means that her image endures as one of the most recognisable figures in history.
I honour her tenacity and grit, her courage in the face of untold personal pain. I honour her power for using that pain as the wellspring of creativity. It was during her most painful times, whether romantically or medically, that Frida produced some of her most seminal work.
Artistically I am most moved by Frida’s colours. The vibrant sun-soaked palette of her beloved Mexico is the same one that graces my native South Africa.’
Caryn Wilensky
Founder, Coast and Koi
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
‘I’m celebrating Betty Boothroyd who started her career as a Tiller Girl and became the first women to be Speaker in the House of Commons. I admire her style, her sense of humour, her backbone of steel, her courage and her tenacity. At 92, she is still participating in parliament. When I joined the House of Commons, Betty Boothroyd said to me: “I hope you feel, as I do, that you’ve been appointed to this role because you are the best person to do the job, not only because you’re a woman.” And that has stayed with me throughout my career. I’m passionate about inspiring self belief in women and being a role model. And that is exactly what Betty Boothroyd has done for me.
Finally, I want to tell you that Baroness Boothroyd is the Patron of First Women UK. And this is why I’m sneakily going to celebrate another amazing woman. Anita Corbin is a pioneering photographer with enormous vision. Over ten years, she found and photographed 100 women who were first in their field. From politicians to comedians, military officers, sportswomen, a welder, music stars, adventurers, and yes, me. Baroness Boothroyd said: “As patron, I want to help Anita Corbin to get First Women off the ground, to celebrate our moment in history.’
Jill Pay
Chairwoman, Gender Index
‘Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg continues to inspire me. She is such a courageous young woman who personally opened up my eyes regarding the scientific facts and dramatic situation of climate change. And, specifically the impact of flights on C02 emissions. What is impressive is her alignment between her words and actions. Since her first public appearance in 2018, she has awoken consciences of so many people all around the world and her commitment on this matter has not faltered.’
Zaira Garcia
Marketing Communication et Ressources Humaines, Thales
Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
Claire Menzies, Chairwoman, Istoria Group
‘I nominate Katherine Hepburn because she knew her value. In her first film role she negotiated a pay rise before she stepped into the studio. She was an advocate for gender equality and for fair pay and she always portrayed independent women, before it was fashionable to do so.
She wore trousers, on and off set, and in her own way, using her public profile, she changed the way the world saw women in that era. When her career slowed, rather than ask for help, she went out and bought the rights to The Philadelphia Story and sold them on, on the proviso she star in it.
But the greatest moment for me, was, at the age of 61 she played Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter, she won a third Oscar it. That role showed the world that women of a certain age have incredible value. Katherine never stopped, she never surrendered to ageism.’
Claire Menzies
Chairwoman, Istoria Group
Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
‘Eve Arnold OBE - The first female photographer to be accepted into Magnum Photos- Daughter of Russian immigrants to the US.
Eve broke the glass ceiling long before it had even been coined as a term. Magnum, in 1951- When Eve first became an associate - was very much an old boys club consisting mainly of war photographers. Throughout Eve´s long and illustrious career she documented some of the most important and iconic figures of the 20th century from Malcom X to Marilyn Monroe, Eve Arnold captured them with an intimacy and candid clarity, that had never been seen before in photography styles of the era. For me she remains as a shining example of talent over gender.’
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‘Graciella Chichilnisky - Who proposed and designed the carbon credit system for Kyoto Protocol & Co-invented Global Thermostat - literally the best possible chance we have, to ensure a future for humanity.
Graciella Chichilnisky was born in Buenos Aires, the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants. After a military coup, violently closed scientific faculties at the University of Buenos Aires she left Argentina for the United States, Supported by a fellowship from the Ford Foundation, Chichilnisky enrolled in the doctoral program in mathematics at MIT; in 1970 she achieved a PHD in mathematics from University of California, Berkeley, She earned a second Ph.D. in economics in 1976.
The importance of her work in the field of atmospheric CO2 cannot be underestimated. Graciella has literally provided the human race with the required safety valve, to reduce atmospheric Co2 levels. Many people remain unaware that we passed the tipping point on existing atmospheric levels of CO2 in 2009.
Which means that even if we halted all emissions immediately we would still be on course for catastrophic climate change. Changing the habits of the human race in terms of emissions, although extremely important and very necessary work, shall take too long.
Graciella´s technology buys us more time, to make the much needed changes to our system and provides the possibility to base the entire global economy on CO2 instead of fossil fuels.The challenge now is to over ride vested interests and ensure that this technology is widely adopted by both the private and public sectors as a key tool, alongside reforestation and regenerative farming, in the mission to bring balance back to the ecosystem and allow future generations to thrive.
I have worked as an advisor to the Global Thermostat team since 2018. My main goal from day one was to get Elon Musk to adopt Graciella´s tech at SpaceX and in his vast production lines.
This goal was achieved on Dec 13th 2021 when Musk announced a program at SpaceX harnessing the power of this tech, to make rocket fuel from recycled atmospheric CO2.
This is literally a game changer that gives me so much hope for future generations. It replaces my ever-present and gnawing climate anxiety at global leaders immense failure to grasp the urgency of the situation.’
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‘Emelie Marsh Swedish ex Olympic Showjumper who is literally the toughest, most hardworking and hilariously funny person In any room.
Emelie has faced more illnesses and accidents than most people combined including (amongst a myriad of others) Cancer and extreme head trauma that left her in a coma for six weeks, we call her the terminator, because no matter what life throws at her she stands straight back up, dusts herself off and comes straight back at it with renewed vigour. She is the epitome of resilience, on a level that I have never witnessed before.
Emelie is a tour de force you can learn more about her brilliance here.’
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All three of these brilliant women are shining beacons of the power of female energy & talent. I am honoured and humbled to know/have known them.
Sarah Rennison Gwynne-Harris
Founder & Creative Director, Reclaim Mallorca - Sustainable Luxury Goods
Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
‘Nina Simone, for her resilience, for bringing beauty from pain. Women can turn the most horrendous experiences into the most wonderful. Nina Simone shows the world through her music that women are both strong and visionary.’
Lou Kiwanuka
Chairwoman of ESSA & EIA, Founder of OpsShaper & The Ops Nest
Instagram | Twitter