At Grace Blue, we are proud to be a business of many brilliant women (50% of Grace Blue’s global Board of Directors and 78% of our global Partners are women) who work to further the careers of other brilliant women (55% of our placed candidates last year were female). We champion female talent in transformational leadership roles and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sits at the very top of our agenda and we continue to commit to gender equity as a core value.
In celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day we want to pay tribute to all the brilliant female leaders, trailblazers and public figures around the world who have inspired us in the last 12 months. We have shared only a few of those women today (as there are many) who we admire for their strength, courage and remarkable achievements.
Queen Elizabeth II: for her lifetime of service and dedication to her country, her demonstration of soft diplomacy, and a skilled level of influence which has truly impacted the course of history in the Commonwealth and the world.
First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenksa: for using her position to highlight the suffering of the Ukrainian people and to be the first spouse of a foreign president to address the US Congress.
Dame Deborah James DBE: for her campaigning work with her Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK which raised more than £7million and her incredible strength during her battle with terminal bowel cancer.
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE: Dr Aderin-Pocock is a British space scientist and science educator. Ahead of this year’s International Women’s Day, Barbie have announced she is their new Barbie Rolemodel and has had a doll made to honour her work in promoting and advocating science careers for young women.
Dame Vivienne Westwood: for being an in influential artists and pioneer and not being afraid of what anyone thought.
Sarina Wiegman: As the England Women’s Head coach, she led her team to victory at the Women’s Euros in 2022. She put her team first and foremost in crediting their success.
Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson: For being the first Black woman to become the Supreme Court Justice and for being a trailblazer on one of the biggest and most important stages, against all odds.
Amal Clooney: for all the work she does to uphold and defend human rights.
Dame Emma Thompson: for her remarkable performance in Good Luck to you, Leo Grande. A poignant, funny, moving exploration of desire, sexuality and aging.
Michelle Yeoh: for her remarkable and unique career as an Asian women in film who has finally gained the recognition she so richly deserves, paving the way for greater inclusivity and diversity in her industry.
Trinny Woodall: for reinvention, a brilliant idea, and building a £150m business
Pamela Anderson: for reclaiming her identity and sensuality despite the media’s portrayal of her
Emma Watson: As a UN Ambassador she champions gender equality and encourages participation and action against negative labelling.
Adriene Mishler: for inspiring health and wellness across her Youtube yoga channel, ‘Yoga with Adriene’ at no cost to people of all shapes and sizes across the globe.
Margaret Atwood: this past year has really brought the need for gender health equity to the fore with the issues of female body autonomy and the impact of the gender data gap on women’s health. Margaret Atwood’s representation of the female experience remains as fresh, relevant, and urgent as ever.
Other notable mentions included Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, Rupi Kaur, Rachel Reeves, Kate Garraway and Lyse Douchet.