Adz Ong, Head of Security Operations, Philippines: “To me, International Women's Day represents a vital opportunity for learning and exploration. It's a day to uncover diverse insights and advocacies, all while celebrating and empowering women across the globe. It's a moment to reflect on progress, advocate for change, and honour the achievements and resilience of women everywhere.” 

Faiza Khan, HR Manager, India: “International Women's Day to me is a powerful reminder of the struggles that women faced,  ongoing journey towards equality and justice for all genders and how our collective strength can change the world.” 

Jane Mann, Managing Director - Partnership for Education, UK: “The fact International Women’s Day exists at all reminds me that we still do not have gender equity around the globe, and we need to make deliberate efforts to work towards this goal.” 

Lilian Dogiama, Head of Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging - International Education, Greece: “It's a time to celebrate the freedom we have today and to reflect that we came to this point through the efforts and struggle of many great women that came before us. It's also a time to remember that the work is far from being done.” 

Abimbola Fasesin, HR Administrator, Nigeria: “It is a day to celebrate womanhood and to appreciate women for multi-tasking as mothers, career women and upholding our homes. Most importantly, bringing awareness of the impact of women globally.” 

Cheri Davidson, Project & Sustainability Manager, South Africa: “It's a day to acknowledge the incredible women, both past and present, who have paved the way for progress and broken barriers. They inspire me with their courage, resilience, and dedication to making the world a better place.” 

Adina Chapman, Higher Education Manager, North America: “It is a day to celebrate gender equity, women’s reproductive rights, and the awareness of violence and abuse against women.” 

Cheri Davidson: “Women continue to face challenges in South Africa. Gender-based violence, deeply ingrained inequalities, and lack of access to basic resources and knowledge remain critical issues. Acknowledging these challenges on International Women's Day allows us to honour the victims, demand accountability, and amplify efforts for change.” 

Jane Mann: “In the Partnership, we work in many environments where girls’ access to and presence in education faces many more challenges than that of boys. For example, in Sub-Saharan Africa, it’s estimated that one in ten girls miss school during their period, which can add up to 20 per cent of schooling missed in a year. However, we also see inspirational examples of leaders trying to tackle this through, for example, provision of free sanitary products in schools, and mainstreaming comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), which teaches all genders about relationships, sexuality, and reproductive health.” 

Abimbola Fasesin: “In the part of the world I come from, we will continue, as women, to lend our voice and ask that we should be treated equally with the opposite gender. It will be a long process, so we will keep pushing ourselves in the faces of all who is concerned to know we deserve same level of respect, understanding, focus and acceptance our male folks gets. And also allow our voices to be heard as women.” 

Jill Duffy, Chief Executive, OCR, UK: “As a female leader, you often find yourself walking a tightrope between getting your views across and being seen as too forceful and assertive, characteristics which would not be pointed out so much in male leaders.  I still find that women are more often interrupted in meetings and talked over by men. Getting your voice really heard can be a challenge.” 

Rachel Fletcher, Dictionary Editor, UK: “We spend a lot of time working to remove gender stereotypes from the Cambridge Dictionary; some of the dictionary content was first compiled a decade (or longer) ago, and it's striking to see how much attitudes have changed since then. Rooting out these stereotypes is something that's important to us, and we know it's important to our customers as well, but it's very much an ongoing process.” 

Adz Ong: “Pursuing a career in Cybersecurity has inevitably exposed me to the gender-related challenges widespread in a field dominated by masculinity. Consequently, I've found myself continually having to prove my technical expertise, capability, and adaptability. Overcoming impostor syndrome and consistently focusing on my objectives have been critical to my success.” 

Gillian Cooke, Group Archivist, UK: “More archivists tend to be female than male! Sadly, however, I’ve had more male managers than female ones. I remember an early local authority archivist role I had in the early 1990s where I worked with female librarians. We were all junior to the museums officer who, as far as I could tell, was the senior member of staff purely because he was male. It felt wrong but it didn’t feel unusual.”  

Lilian Dogiama: “Like most women, misogynism and sexual harassment were some of the worst challenges I encountered in previous workplaces. Misogynism, like racism, is frequently covert but it can mean that it costs you that promotion or that pay rise. Sexual harassment can be detrimental to a woman's mental health as well as career progression. It is vastly important to talk about these issues and to try to eradicate such behaviours from the workplace if we want women to thrive at work.”  

Kagendo Salisbury, Head of Marketing & Communications - Partnership for Education, UK: “I've observed instances where a woman's perspective isn't given the same weight as a man's, even when conveying the same message. It's disheartening to see how gender biases can overshadow the merit of one's ideas, hindering true inclusivity and equality in the workplace.” 

Faiza Khan: "One of the most common challenges I've noticed is the expectation placed on women to balance their career with family duties, a struggle that men often don't experience to the same degree."

Kagendo Salisbury: “Many organisations have diversity and equality policies, but the real game-changer is transforming these policies into a living, breathing culture. It's about creating an environment where every single employee not only understands but also wholeheartedly embraces these principles in their actions and attitudes. That's when we'll see genuine progress in the workplace.”  

Jill Duffy: “Making sure that we have female leader role models is essential and making senior roles more attractive for everyone by enabling them to be part time or job shares. I’m pleased that we have introduced job shares in the UK Education Group at Cambridge. Allowing greater flexibility in working patterns benefits everyone but especially those who have caring and other responsibilities, and it also benefits the organisation by not wasting valuable talent.”  

Cheri Davidson: “Invest in initiatives that address the lack of access to education and resources for women and girls, and focus on our immediate communities. Continue to develop clear policies on equal opportunity, diversity, and zero tolerance for gender-based violence and harassment and pour more resources into their implementation”  

Francesca Woodward, Global Managing Director - English, UK: “Giving people encouragement and confidence to put their hand up for new projects or activities that will expand their skills, knowledge, and competencies.  Or providing coaching to help build confidence to apply for roles that they may not be a 100 per cent fit for but, if they are 60-80 per cent, then have a crack.”  

Adina Chapman: “Eliminating gender gaps across organisational levels and creating a safe, organisational environment where women are encouraged to speak up for themselves and other women without retaliation is important.”  

Raghad Ahmad, Junior Content Analyst, UK: “They should try to prevent inequality in all roles such as difference in wages. They should see them as capable in doing their job as anyone, without undermining them.”  

Jane Mann: Gender inclusivity takes a 360-degree approach, and I really appreciate the focus that Cambridge takes on this. I think one critical ingredient is allyship – all genders need to advocate for inclusivity, and this doesn’t just matter for gender but for all types of diversity. 

Jill Duffy: “Be confident in your own abilities and see the benefits of being a woman in the workplace. Women can be more empathetic and see things in different ways – this diversity of view is incredibly important especially in organisations where most of our customers are women.” 

Kagendo Salisbury: “Stay flexible and keep your mind open to new possibilities; always believing in YOU and speaking up when you need to!” 

Adz Ong: “My advice to young women is to prepare to leverage your unique strengths in ways that defy traditional expectations. Some of these include learning to set aside any self-doubt or emotional hurdles that may arise.  Hone your instincts - your natural intuition is a powerful tool. Train yourself to be strategic, using your instincts to navigate and anticipate challenges. Lastly, develop critical thinking and cultivate a mindset that thrives on questioning and analysing.” 

Francesca Woodward: “Seize the opportunities when they come along, push out of your comfort zone and self-reflect. Take those learnings into the next project.” 

Gillian Cooke: “Selfishly, I wish I’d benefitted from some of the changes I’ve seen, but I remind myself that my mother wasn’t allowed a bank account in her own name after she married and had to resign from work when she became pregnant. We do need to ensure that progress towards equal rights and attitudes continues and that’s the advice I’d offer to younger women!” 

Jane Mann: “Call out what’s not fair. I started my career nearly three decades ago, and when I consider the casual (and sometimes not-so-casual) discrimination I accepted as a young woman, it makes me cross. I would advise my younger self to find allies, and to speak up more.” 

Faiza Khan: "Believe in yourself wholeheartedly, stand up for what you deserve, never stop learning, and always strive to make the world a fairer and more inclusive place for everyone."

Cheri Davidson: “Don't let societal expectations or negative experiences define your potential. Recognise your strengths, talents, and unique perspective, and strive to achieve your goals with confidence and determination. Don't be afraid to speak out and challenge gender biases or discrimination you encounter. Use your voice to advocate for change and hold others accountable.”