International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on the resilient stories of women of our past, appreciate the women of our present, and nurture the women of our future. This day is made possible by women’s dedication to create change.

Here are some of the influential women we are celebrating on International Women’s Day 2025.

Embracing Femininity

Nancy Speidel

“While I had all this responsibility, I still wasn’t a manager. I was an acting manager without the title, with a large team, leading a major program. Eventually they agreed to make me a manager, but I was informed they were worried I wouldn’t be effective because I was “too nice”. It was horrible for me. I felt like I couldn’t be myself. And so I tried to be somebody I wasn’t—to have this standoff relationship with my employees.

I finally figured out that they gave me the worst advice ever, because my niceness was my superpower. Gradually, I became more comfortable in my own skin. I found I could be kind and strong, friendly and direct, caring and results orientated at the same time. It was such an important lesson, and something I always share with other women: don’t lose your authentic self.”

From the article ‘Women Helping Women: Nancy Speidel’s Mission to Elevate Women in Business’. Click here to read the article.

Patricia Obo-Nai

“It’s okay to be vulnerable; it’s okay to show empathy. I think this is what female leaders are able to bring to the table and I would always advise them to embrace it as a quality and a strength. The fact we’re all talking about purpose is so encouraging because it brings a human side out in all of us.”

From the film ‘Patricia Obo-Nai: How Can Women Overcome Bias and Prejudice in STEM?’. Click here to watch the film.

Voices on Inclusion

Angela F. Williams

“I’m a 60-year-old Black woman. Having grown up during the civil rights movement, I have insights to share. Now that I’m in this seat, I can talk about how we must keep rocking the boat and waking up the comfortable sleeping giant.” 

From the article ‘Angela F. Williams: My Life on Purpose’. Click here to read the article.

Ruchika T. Malhotra

“I’d grown up thinking that the power of diversity is something to be celebrated. But what I found in the corporate workplace, was actually the more similar you are, the more you were rewarded. It’s a shame because the data is clear: harnessing the power of diversity is good business, rather than just the right thing to do. That made me realise that I needed to speak up. 

There’s a huge amount of opportunity right now to adopt a growth mindset towards inclusion. We can learn and grow to become more inclusive, to become more anti-racist. You may have been brought up to think people who are different from you were bad; we all consume media which unfortunately has bias and discrimination built into it. But that’s not something we need to carry forward. 

Inclusion and innovation are deeply linked. If you want to surface new ideas, to bring a growth strategy that hasn’t been thought about before, you cannot do so without new voices, and new perspectives.”

From the film ‘Ruchika Tulshyan: Inclusive’. Click here to watch the film.

A Dedicated Sisterhood 

“When I reflect back on the things that have helped me and the journey as a woman, I think the relationships were key. I always got on well with men, but with women there was a sisterhood.”

— Participant in ‘How Did She Get There?’ interviews

From the article ‘How Did She Get There?’. Click here to read the article.

Standing Out in Male-Dominated Fields

Elaine Lorimer

“Some women, in my experience, have had to shape and mould their behaviour to fit in. I haven’t done that. I’ve always tried to be true to myself. But what that means is that being truly authentic and being yourself, you don’t necessarily fit in with the conventional way of thinking.”

From the article ‘How Did She Get There?’. Click here to read the article.

Roshni Bandesha

“It used to be frowned upon, to some extent, to bring the personal into business — especially for female leaders. But increasingly people are recognising the different dimensions of life that business impacts, and as a result, more conversations are happening about the personal side of work.

I think that’s one of the biggest ways to drive meaningful change; connecting the complexities of our inner lives to the work that we’re doing. Rather than thinking of business as a separate silo to the rest of our lives, business leaders are beginning to open up more and talk about both the good and the bad. The things they’re excited and passionate about, but also the things they’re scared or apprehensive about.

Humanising those leadership roles enables people to talk in a much more productive and genuine way about what the challenges are and how we can collectively overcome them.”

From the article ‘Leadership Insight: Roshni Bandesha of BGF’. Click here to read the article.

Navigating Purpose

Jessi Baker

“I must admit that I’m a reluctant entrepreneur. I don’t think I ever really wanted to start a business — it was initially a side project that I was working on alongside a PhD, the first version built solely by me. I gave up at least 20 times at this stage. But I always came back to it — tinkering away, because I’m just so deeply passionate about solving this [sustainability] problem.” 

From the article ‘What Can We Learn From a Can of Tuna?’. Click here to read the article.

Natalia Oropeza

“I want to be instrumental in making Siemens a secure digital provider. I want to help people at Siemens develop a sense of belonging and reach their full potential. And I want to be remembered as a happy Mexican mother helping her family in Germany.”

From the article ‘Natalia Oropeza: My Life on Purpose’. Click here to read the article.