It's International Women’s Day ('IWD') 2024, and for me, this one feels a bit different.

This Sunday marks 6 months exactly since I made a bold move, migrating from London, UK to Melbourne, Australia, leaving a stable job that I loved in film and experiential cinema. I worked in the head office marketing team of Picturehouse, a brand that functions in the world of film exhibition and distribution, but in essence, it is so much more.

The Picturehouse head office had an high female-to-male ratio, with women in many of the key leadership roles. The women of Picturehouse are exceptional, and the men are allies who understand that this global effort is “a day of collective global activism and celebration that belongs to all those committed to forging women's equality.” —InternationalWomensDay.com

I am at a moment in my life where having recently begun a new chapter, I am still forming the connections — both personally and professionally — that would see me actively participate in activities for the day. So this week — during a time when I would be helping with IWD events, such as industry brunches and getting my creative craft on — I've been taking some time to reflect.

I believe we need to keep moving forward to a point in time when it feels almost irrelevant to have a yearly campaign because gender and genderless equality is where it needs to be. And whilst we have moved leaps and bounds since IWD began in 1911, it is nowhere near that point.

Every year IWD assigns a theme, this year's being to 'Inspire Inclusion'. IWD explains that "to inspire inclusion means to celebrate diversity and empowerment on International Women's Day 2024 and beyond." and "to truly include women means to openly embrace their diversity of race, age, ability, faith, body image, and how they identify." 

The people we surround ourselves with help us to develop personally and professionally, building communities and support networks. I look forward to meeting many more incredible and inspiring people, regardless of how people identify, both inside and outside of the workplace.

The beautiful foodie-centric, coffee-loving Melbourne is where I now call home and fondly watch from across the oceans as the women from my UK chapter keep making leaps and bounds in their lives and careers. I've always loved showing up and being there to support them and their wins and will continue to do so with the help of digital technology, no matter where in the world I may be. 

On a final note, after having recently finished a brief 3-month stint with an architecture design practice — I am back on the job market, in that search for a new exciting career step. Inclusive, people-first brands are my preference, with a penchant for B Corps and socially conscious brands.

Resources

International Women's Day

Hashtags: #IWD2024 #InspireInclusion

Photo by Vladislav Klapin on Unsplash