Women that have inspired me to challenge

The theme of this year’s International Women's Day is #ChooseToChallenge. It’s a topic that resonates deeply with me on a personal level because of my own experiences, but also because it embodies the ethos of three women who have, and continue, to inspire me. On this day of celebration, I wanted to spotlight their remarkable spirit and share what they’ve taught me.

The first is my sister-in-law’s mother, Margie Probyn. A former teacher she grew up in a family where her dad was a judge during apartheid. In a highly charged political environment, when it would be easy for her to ignore all that was going on - especially given her father’s role - Margie took to the streets to give a voice to the issues she cared about. On one occasion she was arrested but this did not deter her from challenging the system and trying to bring about change for those who were being denied their rights.

Margie moved into teaching because she recognised that education was absolutely critical to helping the women of South Africa rewrite their future. Working in townships, she helped to transform people's lives as she opened their eyes to new possibilities. Now retired, she continues to work on projects to help women, advocating for education as a key tool in helping girls to understand that they have a choice, and more importantly a voice. The strength of her passion and belief has not been dimmed by age or experience. If anything her light shines brighter now than ever.

Like a lot of women, I am a huge admirer of Jacinda Ardern - and was pre-pandemic, although the last year has certainly deepened my admiration for her. Jacinda has forged her own path. She once said that: “It takes courage and strength to be empathetic, and I’m very proudly an empathetic and compassionate leader. I am trying to chart a different path, and that will attract criticism but I can only be true to myself and the form of leadership I believe in.”

Putting compassion at the centre of how she reacts to situations has meant that she can create real change and that she’s listening not to respond, but to ensure people are heard. That’s a very different method of leadership than we see in societies that are dominated by male leaders and politicians.  Every time she’s been tested, being true to herself has given Jacinda an inner strength that has become a political beacon and an example to others. 

Someone who knows a lot about inner strength is Stanimira Koleva. I was extremely lucky to work with her in my early career. A strong leader, she taught me so much about ensuring that everyone in the room has a voice.  Stanimira knew that we never truly know the intricacies of a person’s life, that we do not see their true reality from our vantage point of the workplace and that accordingly we should not make assumptions or have unrealistic expectations of people. Therefore, her approach to management was to always assume the best of someone, never the worst. Compassion gave Stanimira resilience and she was completely different to any other leader I had ever worked with. I learned lessons from Stanimira that I carry with me to this day.

These women have enabled me to see the importance and profound impact of belief, compassion and resilience. At this year’s European Women in Tech Summit, Orla Dunne from Goldman Sachs said that ‘leadership is followership - when you look behind you, know that people will be with you. But they can only be there if you've invested in them.’ Margie, Jacinda and Stanimira all engender followership through the example they set and the standards that they hold themselves too. They are the forefront of ensuring that the next generation can look forward to a brighter, more equal tomorrow.  

Thank you to these women, and all the women, that #ChooseToChallenge