ISABEL AXIÖ
Senior Consultant at RMCG
WMRR National Board Member
What does International Women's Day (IWD) mean to you?
I have experienced the IWD as an opportunity to highlight the incredible work that women do that might not have a time in the spotlight normally as their stories get lost in content so often focused on male leaders, innovators and workers.
What challenges (if any) did you face as a woman entering the industry? How did you address them?
I know of no women, me included, who have not experienced some form of inappropriate comments or touch. I wish the movement of calling out this behaviour had been more progressed and known to me 20+ years ago. It would have empowered me to stand up more. But I think in addition to this type of obvious challenge, a daily challenge is probably more centred around being confident - putting on a bit of extra ‘pepp’ to take the lead, to make the comment, to stand by a point and tell yourself that your perspective matters. This is an attribute that I have tried to nurture in my work and to be honest, whenever I have stepped up in my professional life, in the WARR industry particularly – even though it is male dominated - I have been met with nothing other than encouragement and I think this does reflect a change in culture).
How can we encourage future female leaders both generally and within WARR?
In my organisation we have a graduate program and a focus on younger staff, and I also come across quite a few women throughout events and collaborations. From all the young women I have come across in the last few years I have literally been gobsmacked at their intelligence, productivity, creativity and capability. But if anything, I do still see glimpses of that insecurity - so I guess if I was giving advice to other women, younger especially, I’d say that they are what inspire me to do better and that their skills and intelligence is remarkable – so own it and use it.
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