International Women’s Day (“IWD”), the annual commemoration of women’s achievements — socially, economically, culturally, and politically — takes place this year on March 8, 2017, and will be celebrated by people all around the world. Coming just six weeks after millions of women participated in Women’s Rights Marches, IWD is getting even greater attention this year. The theme is #BeBoldForChange and brings awareness to the idea that each of us can be a leader in our own way by taking action to accelerate gender parity.
At Après, we are honored to be a part of an amazing community of women who share the common goal of expanding their networks and finding new career opportunities. We also work hard every day to educate companies about the value of women in the workplace and, to date, we have engaged over 100 companies with an established commitment to hiring women returning to the workforce and increasing gender diversity.
Many of Après’ corporate partners are proudly honoring IWD in different and creative ways and we are thrilled to take this opportunity to showcase just some of the wonderful initiatives being taken to celebrate the day.
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HubSpot, a leader in software products for inbound marketing and sales, is celebrating IWD in a big way. In addition to creating a wide variety of fun and inspiring original content — such as women-created blogs, a Medium chat, and a group of Facebook Live sessions with various female speakers — HubSpot is also dedicating an episode of its podcast The Growth Show to a female founder and asking employees to write on original Chalk Walls in all of its offices on how they will “Be Bold for Change” regarding women and gender in 2017.
Finally, HubSpot is hosting both a Mini Master Class Series in which female leaders conduct hour long Master Classes for HubSpot employees and a Women On Board Evening Event, a public fireside chat on how to take bold risks in your career.
FINRA’s mission is to safeguard the investing public against fraud and bad practices. It is also an organization that believes in women and is celebrating IWD throughout the month of March. First, FINRA is hosting the #BeBoldForChange Photo Challenge in which they’ll encourage employees, in honor of IWD, to enter a contest by sending the FINRA Women’s Network (FWN) a picture of themselves holding a sign with the theme #BeBoldforChange. The best picture winner will receive an amazing giveaway and will be featured in the FWN newsletter.
FINRA is also hosting webinars and contests dedicated to highlighting inspirational women and discussing ways in which FINRA employees can #BeBoldForChange. Last, FINRA’s FWN will host a dynamic discussion with an internal FINRA leader which will be broadcast live across the entire organization for all to take part in a career and leadership-focused dialogue.
This UK-based fashion house is celebrating IWD in a truly international way. The fashion favorite of Princess Kate is offering its customers a ten percent discount on all full price purchases and will donate an additional ten percent to Women For Women, a charity that has helped more than 447,000 marginalized women in countries affected by war and conflict.
Catalyst is the leading nonprofit organization with a mission to accelerate progress for women through workplace inclusion and is dedicated to creating workplaces where employees representing every dimension of diversity can thrive.
Catalyst is hosting the Catalyst Awards Conference and Dinner on IWD and has been selected as an official charity partner for the International Women’s Day organization in support of their 2017 theme, #BeBoldForChange. This year, Catalyst is honoring 3M, BMO Financial Group, and Rockwell Automation with the prestigious 2017 Catalyst Award.
Treat House creates “the world’s finest marshmallow and rice crispie treats” and if you haven’t tried them, IWD is a fantastic opportunity to do so. Treat House is offering all Après members and corporate partners a ten percent discount on 12-pack treats with inspirational women’s quotes and the #BeBoldForChange logo (use code APRES10). In addition, Treat House will donate an additional ten percent of sales on IWD to New York’s Lower Eastside Girls Club.
Leumi is part of the Leumi Group, one of the top banks in the world and a driving force behind Israel’s economic and industrial development since the bank’s establishment in 1902. Leumi is taking the opportunity to celebrate IWD by having it’s Women’s Affinity Group host a program for all its employees called “Optimizing Your Personal Brand,” as part of its diversity and inclusion initiative “Project Include.” This program will allow participants an opportunity to not only learn best practices about building a personal brand from an industry expert but will also provide an opportunity to obtain a professional photo portrait, which can be used in building their personal brand.
Ellie Kai is a dedicated women-for-women business and has been built around empowering women at every touch-point, by creating thoughtful silhouettes based on real feedback, by supporting their network of entrepreneurial Style Consultants and by fostering an inclusive workplace. They are supporting International Women’s Day by spotlighting women that have impacted lives and stood up for change. Check out their stories here!
At Après, we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate IWD! We’re kicking off the week with a Facebook Live chat with Jennifer Gefsky, Co-Founder of Après; Dee Poku, Founder of WIE; Deepali Bagati, Executive Director at Catalyst; and Lynn Weitzman career coach and Founder of Opt-In Consulting. We’re discussing gender diversity and how women can successfully return to the workforce after a career break.
We’re also sharing with our members a girl power Spotify playlist and an inspirational reading list, along with a social media campaign dedicated to highlighting women and their accomplishments.
Last, we are honored to participate in the Catalyst Conference on March 8th and educate even more companies about the value of women returning to the workforce.
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Whether you’re an individual or an Après corporate partner, we hope you’re celebrating IWD in a fun and “bold” way this year. And, don’t forget to tell us about your IWD experience so we can share it with the Après community!
Après is a career resource for women returning to work after a break or transitioning within the workforce. Reconnect with your professional self — search jobs, get inspired, find resources, and refresh your skills. Join our community of women helping women.
