Inspirational Female Leaders of Sony Europe

International Women's Day (IWD) is a global day (marked on March 8th each year) celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality. This year, the IWD theme was #breakthebias. Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead. Knowing that bias exists isn't enough, action is needed to level the playing field.

We speak to Silke Schild, Director Corporate Communications Europe, to learn more about her and what experiences and mind sets shaped her and what advice she can give to other women who strive to succeed and #breakthebias themselves.

A bit of background – who you are, what do you do, time at Sony Europe…

I'm the Director of Corporate Communications in Sony Europe for the past three years and have been with Sony for 18 years, having worked across a number of UK, European and global communications roles. I've been very fortunate that my roles have enabled me to work with diverse talent across the organisation from all corners of the globe. As a communications function, we're responsible for planning and delivering external PR strategies to promote our key products, technologies, and initiatives to enhance our overall brand image and reputation among key stakeholders including media, influencers, analysts, investors, partners, and end customers. At the same time we aim to foster employee engagement internally by ensuring a steady flow of effective communication and brand storytelling across the organisation.

Who has inspired you?

 I take my inspiration from all walks of life and believe there is no limit to what we can learn from others - particularly those individuals, among them many trailblazing women, who continue to break barriers in their respective fields to achieve their passions. An early inspirational leader came from my home country of South Africa - Nelson Mandela won the hearts and minds of his people, striving for equality with a rare combination of compassion, strength, and humility.

What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders? 

Nurture your professional networks with others outside your department - the better you understand the business from other perspectives, the better you'll be able to contribute to its success.

• Keep up to date with industry trends and continuously invest in your knowledge as you never know when these skills will prove useful
• Be open to the advice and viewpoints of others – no leader ever stops learning or growing
• Know your worth and take note of your successes to promote your accomplishments when it matters - back these up with substantiated facts and figures