As we celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD), and with the theme being ‘Accelerating Action’, Dynamic asked some prominent business women...
Jen Bayford
Co-Founder, Growth Animals Marketing | B Corp Certified
In a word, yes - there has been progress in gender parity. Is there still a long way to go? Absolutely, and not just for women, but for equality across all protected characteristics. I still see outdated attitudes - like when old-school men direct strategic or commercial questions to my (male) business partner. But I’m not here to seek their approval. As a strategic marketer with 20+ years of experience, I’ve carved my own path by leaning into women-only networks where we show up, support each other, and walk together in business as equals. In these spaces, we are unapologetically ambitious, badass, and unstoppable. Real change happens when we create and claim our own opportunities - not sit around for the world to get with the programme.
Emma Lane
Partner, Positive Momentum
Progress has been made, but ‘sufficient’ feels like the wrong word—because we’re not there yet. The financial services and consulting industries, where I’ve spent my career, have seen more women in leadership, yet true parity remains elusive. Structural barriers, unconscious bias, and outdated systems still hold women back, particularly in senior roles. The theme of ‘Accelerating Action’ is a timely reminder that progress isn’t inevitable—it requires intent, commitment, and systemic change. We need to move beyond celebrating incremental gains and focus on bold, tangible actions that create lasting equity, not just representation.
Carole Gilling-Smith
CEO & Medical Director, The Agora Clinic
As a baby boomer born at a pivotal time, I celebrate the progress made and am grateful that my gender has never hindered my dreams. However, on a global scale, the contrast is stark. Despite extraordinary advancements in science and technology over the past century - transforming our world - gender parity remains elusive. Women are still underrepresented in key industries, wage gaps persist, and healthcare for women lags behind that of men. It is also disheartening that in many societies, girls are still denied education, marital choice, and career opportunities. The journey toward equality is thus far from over, and we must continue to advocate for meaningful change throughout the world for the sake of both current and future generations.
HELEN CANNON
Founder & CEO, ISON Travel
Since 1911, women have made incredible progress – running countries, pioneering science, breaking records in sport, leading businesses and transforming industries. But while we’ve come far, we’re not there yet.
At ISON Travel, progress is something we live and breathe every day. We believe that businesses have a responsibility to open doors and create real opportunities, especially for women. That’s why we’re passionate about flexible working, remote opportunities, and making sure talent – not circumstance – determines success. ISON Travel’s growth, awards, and achievements prove that when people thrive, businesses do too. And when we invest in people, we don’t just build successful companies, we create lasting change.
So let’s move beyond expectations. Let’s redefine and re-purpose business so that it has a far-reaching, positive impact on employees, especially women – and let’s change the workplace for good.
Carina Bauer
CEO, IMEX Group
“Until the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 it was still perfectly legal to discriminate against women in employment, training, housing, goods and services – and education.
It’s hard to believe it took so long for those rights to be enshrined in law, but clearly a lot of progress has been made in the past 50 years.
As someone who benefited greatly from the power of a good education, I’d love to see more girls and women being given equal access to education. Whilst there’s more equality in many parts of the world, the fact this battle still needs to be fought shows we still have a long way to go.”
ALISON ADDY
Head of External Engagement and Policy, London Gatwick Airport
I would hope that Clara Zetkin, who first campaigned for an International Women’s Day, would be delighted to see a very different world for women with greater access to education and employment; legal rights; and political representation. But we know that there are still parts of the world where we still need to accelerate action in areas such as the gender pay gap, as well as gender-based violence and continued underrepresentation in leadership. I know I am in a privileged position and that I benefit from many of the advances in women’s rights, but that this is not an experience shared by all women and we have so much more work to do to address this, which is why IWD continues to be so important.
Camille PIERSON
Founder, Float Spa
Since International Women’s Day (IWD) began in 1911, we’ve seen undeniable progress toward gender parity—yet the reality of achieving true equality remains complex. Women now hold leadership roles, enjoy greater legal protections, and have more opportunities than ever before. However, despite these advancements, many are still caught in an unequal balance between career and home life.
I see how societal conditioning continues to shape our daily behaviours. Even in households where both partners work full-time, women still carry the lion’s share of domestic chores, childcare, and emotional labour. This invisible workload leads to burnout and a constant battle between personal ambition and family responsibilities.
Perhaps one of the starkest reflections of this imbalance is in career success vs. family life. Studies repeatedly show that the most successful women in business, politics, and entrepreneurship are often those who do not have children. There remains a deep-seated bias that ties professional achievement to personal sacrifice—whereas men can often pursue both without judgment, women still face the expectation of “having it all” at a significant personal cost.
SAMANTHA KAYE
Chartered Financial Planner, Wellesley
As a financial adviser, I recognise that progress has been made since the inception of International Women’s Day in 1911, but gender parity in finance remains a work in progress. Women are increasingly engaging in investing, pension planning, and pursuing careers in financial services, yet they continue to encounter significant barriers, such as pay gaps and underrepresentation in leadership positions. I believe it’s crucial to provide women with the knowledge and resources they need to manage their finances confidently. Achieving true gender parity means giving women better access to the financial tools, leadership roles, and opportunities needed to build wealth and secure their financial futures.
DONNA HOLLAND
CEO, Rockinghorse Children’s Charity
“No. Despite decades of progress, true gender parity is still far from today’s reality. Women still earn less than men for the same work, remain underrepresented in boardrooms and politics, and continue to face gender-based violence and systemic discrimination.
The unpaid labour of caregiving and domestic work still falls disproportionately on women, stalling careers and financial independence. Progress isn’t linear—it surges forward and slips back. It’s both a slow evolution and a necessary revolution. Acknowledging the gap is just the start—closing it demands relentless advocacy, bold policy changes, and a cultural shift that refuses to wait another century”.
ROSEMARY FRENCH OBE
No! It is true that there have been massive strides on the gender equality journey with some countries well ahead of others. Scandinavia comes to mind. However, there are still vast regions in the world where women remain disadvantaged accessing education, in employment, being politically represented, and legally. Where improvements have been made, women still earn less on average, are more likely to suffer from violence and harassment and discrimination, and largely shoulder the burden of unpaid caring limiting their economic independence.
KAREN LORD
Partner and Head of Corporate, Healys
Gender parity in UK law firms has undoubtedly improved since 1911. However, I can’t say that I have seen much progress since I qualified in 1998. There are still significant gaps, particularly at senior levels. Whilst women constitute 53% of UK solicitors you only have to look at the “Our People” pages on most law firm websites to see that the proportion of photos of female lawyers decreases significantly with seniority. This is backed by the stats: according to lawgazette.co.uk women make up only 37% of partners in law firms, with only 28% of full-equity partners being women. So whilst many firms have introduced diversity initiatives, flexible working policies, and mentorship programs, true equality in senior positions is still a work in progress.
Louise Punter
CEO, Surrey Chambers of Commerce
Rather than looking back to 1911, I have looked at the last 20 years and compared 2005 with 2025 which clearly shows that change has accelerated. Female Board representation in FTSE 100 Companies has increased four-fold to nearly 45% of seats and in 2025 women held 35% of leadership roles as opposed to 20% in 2005. Representation in the House of Commons has nearly doubled and many organisations are focussed on EDI. Throughout the Chamber we meet more female leaders of business, but we must be careful to look outside our bubble and remember this is “International” Women’s Day – and across the world there is still so much need for change.
ALISON JONES
Partner, Kreston Reeves
There has been significant progress since 1911, starting with getting the vote, and being able to open your own bank account. In the UK, equal pay and equal recognition is now enshrined in our laws, although in reality there is still work to be done. However, progress is now significantly eroding in certain parts of the world, especially in Afghanistan and it is now even more important to highlight these issues and fight for gender equality to be restored. We cannot accept a world where women have no right to speak in public, which is why being part of IWD and highlighting these issues is so important.
NADIA COWDREY
Partner & Head of Private Client, DMH Stallard
Whilst we don’t have gender parity we have made significant progress with equal rights in the UK. I am grateful for the freedoms I have today, to the women who came before me, who fought battles I will never have to fight so that I can enjoy a life they could only dream of.
I lament the hardship they endured, their voices silenced, their dreams constrained, so that now I can live in a world where I can chose my own path and my daughter has the freedom to choose her destiny too.
Here is why:
In 1911 women:
• Had no legal autonomy,
• Were barred from gaining degrees,
• Were considered too emotional to serve on juries,
• Could not have a bank account or loan without permission from a male relative,
• Could not practice law, medicine or politics in the UK.
Sadly, little has progressed for women in other parts of the world, we should therefore also celebrate how lucky we are to live in the UK.
JULIE KAPSALIS – CEO, Nescot
Quite simply – not enough. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals show that on average, women in the labour market earn 23% less than men globally and at the current rate, it will take 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions of leadership in the workplace.
As a member of the Gender Index Advisory Board, our data shows that only 19.1% of active UK companies are female-led. Access to external capital remains a challenge for female-led companies - of those with access to investment, more than half of companies were male-led and only a fifth female-led. Government needs to do more to fund innovative programmes to stimulate growth and strengthen diversity in women’s enterprise.
