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Key takeaways from our Dublin #HearFromHer event celebrating International Women’s Day 2019

Dublin

International Women’s Day is so important to us here at Glandore and for the past two years we have celebrated the day by hosting our very own #HearFromHer event at No. 25 Fitzwilliam Place.

The aim of the evening is to recognise and celebrate the achievements of women in our community and afford them the visibility they deserve as leaders in their field. This year we celebrated in the same way, by hosting our third-annual Hear from Her event in Dublin, and we are delighted to say it was another huge success.

This year’s panel discussion was around the theme of Balance for Better, with a particular focus on the technology sector. The event opened to a packed room at No. 25, where Glandore Director, Clare Kelly welcomed our panelists and guests for the evening. Clare spoke about the importance of these gatherings, mentioning that at Glandore “we believe that female role models in business are hugely powerful in changing attitudes and empowering women at all stages in their careers and mentions that “You can’t be what you can’t see!”.”

Expert communications specialist Theresa Lowe was our moderator for the evening and introduced the panelists which included co-founder and COO of Food Marble, Lisa Ruttledge the tech start-up striving to make leading digestive science available to everyone. We also heard from Senior Manager of People Operations at Nitro, Katie Banks who is head of the People & Workplace function for Nitro’s EMEA HQ and is responsible for managing all the crucial elements of the Employee Lifecycle, and Coral Movasseli, Managing Director of Girls in Tech Dublin, a dedicated platform for women-in-tech and entrepreneurs.

With so many inspiring and interesting speakers from the event, we have decided to share our top takeaways from all three panelists.

Stand up for women, be an advocate and mentor them

Coral Movasseli spoke about her passion for making an impact on the world and mentioned that when she moved to Ireland to set up Girls in Tech, she wanted to create a programme where women could find mentorship and feel empowered to pick their own mentors. She said that she has been standing up for what she’s believed in her entire life, standing up for kids in the playground all the way to her work environment. Her goal for Girls in Tech was not just to be an advocate but to create real opportunities for women, mentioning that “If we are united, we can move the dial and be behind each other all the way.”

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and support

Katie Banks from Nitro spoke about her setbacks in life and about her amazing career so far. She explained that while diagnosed with a virus that left her unable to walk, she soon realised that it is okay to need help sometimes and having supportive people around her helped her through the tough times. “If at 26 I can learn how to walk again and if I can get up and face that challenge then there’s nothing that can compare to that.”

She praised her supportive and approachable manager who helped her come back to work more motivated than ever after having her first child last year.  She discussed how having worked in a number of different industries has opened her eyes to the fact that so many places don’t have the same amazing support for women that she has now, explaining that when she needed to extent her maternity leave due to post-natal depression she was able to speak openly to her manager which allowed her to come back to work stronger than ever, and has been promoted a number of times since her return.

Katie believes that “We should always be ourselves and go with our gut instinct. Be who you can be.”

Power to sponsor and encourage

Lisa Ruttledge is the co-founder and COO of tech start-up FoodMarble. Speaking passionately about innovation and the importance of technology in healthcare, she discussed how being supported and challenged at a young age by her father was of great importance. Lisa also mentioned that we must use our power in the world to support other women and to put them in contact with likeminded people that can help them move forward in their careers. Chatting about success, she mentions that “you must surround yourself with positive people” and if you see potential in a colleague, get “her” involved and speak up for “her” among her peers and help open organisations’ eyes to the amazing talent of women.

Keep going, life is not linear

Managing Director of Girls in Tech, Coral Movasseli spoke of how she has encountered disrespect and stereotyping throughout her career, but states that “We are the solution” and that we can fix this problem, “We must fight for equality for all, not just for women.” Closing the discussion with some key final notes to our guests, Coral passes on her best advice which is “Happiness is a state that we are constantly chasing. If you are working at something keep going. Life is not linear, there will always be twists and turns along the way.”

Hear what our panelists have to say

See the full album of images from the event here.

Glandore’s “Hear from Her” event for International Women’s Day was inspired by the desire to recognise and celebrate the achievements of the women in their community and afford them the visibility they deserve as leaders in their field. Glandore believe that female role models in business are hugely powerful in changing attitudes and empowering women at all stages in their careers.

A family-run business since 2001, Glandore is the leading provider of flexible workspace in Ireland, with nine locations across Cork, Dublin and Belfast. Feel free to get in touch for more information.

 

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