Great allies: celebrating International Women's Day!

Over sixty female business leaders from more than 30 local organisations gathered at The Village Hotel to enjoy listening to inspirational women, and to share experiences at a Community Minds event, organised by CMP to coincide with International Women's Day on 8 March.

Sally Pritchett, founder and CEO of the creative communications agency, Something Big, provided an insightful, entertaining key address, emphasising the importance of what Sally called 'allyship':

'What do we mean by an ally? An ally is like a proactive champion, someone who leans into the challenges of a community and acts as their voice when they're not in the conversation, speaks up when they're not being heard, and I believe goes further - helping break down barriers and smooth the path, maybe opening doors for that community.'

Reflecting on her early professional life, Sally spoke about the experience of life in a workplace largely dominated by men:

'I was there on merit, capability and hard work...I found out my pay was considerably less than my poor performing male counterpart who I had been asked to mentor; I worked tirelessly to be accepted and belong...

...and I most definitely I did not have the luxury of being able to be simply as good as my colleagues: I had the burden to be better.' Sally's warm, lively address concluded that 'we need our male counterparts to be on this journey'.

Earlier in the morning, employment law specialist Hannah King, Legal Director at Herrington Carmichael, Solicitors, had set the context in which this Community Minds was taking place. Hannah's detailed analysis provided a sobering picture of the realities of women's employment in the 21st century.

The listened to an outline of the challenges which continue to face women including the pay gap, underrepresentation in senior roles and a disproportionate representation by women in part-time and low-paid roles, harassment and the ongoing discrimination many women experience upon returning to work.

Hannah's hopeful conclusion was upbeat: 'While we have made substantial progress in advancing women's employment rights, significant work remains to ensure equal opportunities, fair treatment, and career success for all women. Achieving real change requires collective action—strong laws, corporate accountability, and cultural transformation.'

Hannah's presentation was followed by a by the Mayor of Rushmoor, Mara Makanura who provide a powerful picture of her experience in local politics as a mother and a person of colour - the black woman to hold the title of Mayor in Rushmoor.

Confronting many barriers and those who questioned whether it was right for her to be in a high profile public space, Mara was steadfast: 'I have earned my place to be where I am - I have belief in myself and have proven that I am capable.

It should not be about your private life: it should be about what you deliver.'

After the event, Antea Rastall who had co-hosted alongside Rachel Austen on behalf of CMP, was thrilled with success of the morning:

'This is the first time CMP has hosted an event such as this. It provides an opportunity to showcase the extraordinary contribution of some incredible women in our community.

These were empowered women, empowering women.'