International Women’s Day celebrations at Global Mobility’s biggest gathering
Relocate Global’s ‘Think Women’ celebration at the Institute of Directors on Friday to mark International Women’s Day welcomed its highest-ever turnout, underlining the relevance of the movement’s message and call for collective action in Global Mobility, HR and Education.
Keynote speaker at Think Women 2020, Professor Vlatka Hlupic
Making a difference in global mobility – Think Women
The Relocate Global team welcomed over 70 guests to its third Think Women IWD celebration, sponsored by Mauve, to take stock and press for progress towards gender equality under this year’s theme of ‘Each for Equal’.HR, talent development teams and individuals regard international assignments as vital for achieving senior leadership positions. However, currently only around a quarter of globally mobile professionals – those who live and work overseas – are female.Relocate Global’s Think Women events and its supporting community are enabling more men and women to engage with the issues from an individual, professional and sectoral perspective, and to learn from and share with others.Inclusion and equality for successful, people-focused business
“Our Think Women community connects personal stories to the bigger IWD picture and Relocate Global’s themes of employee support and wellbeing, sustainability and social responsibility, and global leadership,” explains managing editor, Fiona Murchie.“Inclusion and equality are all of our responsibility. The business benefits are proven, as both research and each of our four keynote speakers showed. They are breaking the mould in their own way, and helping others to build successful, people-focused business.”Connecting personal stories with practical action
Co-founder of Mauve, a global workforce solutions provider and proud sponsor of the event, Ann Ellis shared the pivotal moments in her professional and personal life. Inspired as a child by actor Sophia Lauren in the film The Millionairess, Ann took the opportunity given by a move to Italy with her partner and young family to set up what is now a global business. In the process, she realised her childhood dream of owning a business and travelling the world. Mauve, based in 60 countries and serving 150 more, is now supporting companies to grow globally through its range of services.More articles by Ruth Holmes:
- Combining caring with an international career
- Tipping the balance: a lifetime’s work
- Future-focused Generation Z aspires to STEM careers
Aviator Carrie Clarke is also making her childhood dream of flying people to holiday destinations, come true. Despite the hardship of self-financing her training, Carrie is just three months away from the end of her ratings training. Backed by a supportive network of like-minded women and men, Carrie is keen to inspire other young people into aviation to show that it is possible - with ambition and self-belief.
Ideas to take away
Best-selling author, policy influencer and consultant Teresa Boughey brought these themes together in a workshop session to show how we can each make an impact and uplift each other. Ending the celebration on a high, Professor Vlatka Hlupic talked about the big shifts taking place in business and society, and how we as individuals and collectively can make change through the ripple effect.A key theme across the day was to feel the fear and do it anyway. Speaking to Relocate Global, Anna Fletcher of Heart Relocation explained what it took to set up her own company. Asked what advice she would give to others, she said, “Not to be afraid. Take the challenge.”Guests also appreciated the special opportunity within the Think Women community to hear experiences that have made this happen. “It’s nice to talk to people and share stories without pressure,” said HR consultant and Think Women guest, Susan Pearson.Read inspiring stories about the Think Women speakers:
- Making mobility happen: Ann Ellis
- Creating a high-performance, humane workforce for the future
- Young female pilot aims to help open up career opportunities for all
- Helping companies to foster a diverse and inclusive culture
Read more news and articles about HR, Enterprise and Talent Management
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