An equal world is a smarter world. At Foresight we champion a smarter future through our investment strategies, which means investing in sustainable, socially conscious businesses. But we also recognise the importance of championing corporate social responsibility by doing all we can to ensure an open, diverse and inclusive working environment. This includes taking an active role in global occasions which celebrate and promote equality, one of the most well-known being International Women’s Day!

This year the wider International Women’s Day (IWD) campaign theme is #EachforEqual. The idea is to focus on how we as individuals can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women's achievements. Individually we are all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day every day. If each of us were to choose to champion equality through small acts, collectively we can help forge a truly gender equal world.

This week, our dedicated IWD team decorated our Shard HQ with themed banners and balloons to welcome Thursday night’s guest speaker; Nicky Curran, Founder and Principal of Curran Coaching. Nicky hosted an interactive presentation skills session, sharing her top five secrets to success. In the spirit of inclusivity, the session was open to all and saw a great turn out. The event continued into the evening with networking drinks as attendees swapped stories about their own presenting victories (and horrors!).

On top of this, we engaged with the #EachforEqual theme by asking colleagues to consider what women’s empowerment really means to them; how do they contribute to it? What do they think would move the matter forward? Genuine enthusiasm for the cause amongst our staff meant we were able to gather thoughtful answers from a wide variety of team members across the business. Watch the animation below to find out what they had to say.