In this blog for International Women’s Day, Gemma Morgan (pictured), Senior HR business partner, people & culture at BCD Meetings & Events, reflects on this year’s theme, “Give to Gain,” and what it truly means to build workplaces where women can thrive.
Drawing on her experience shaping inclusive policies and leading the ASPIRE mentorship programme, Gemma explores how intentional action, shared influence and meaningful support at every life stage can turn progress from aspiration into reality.
International Women’s Day gives us a moment to ask ourselves what kind of workplace we’re really building. This year’s theme, Give to Gain feels different. It’s a reminder that progress doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when people choose to share what they know, open doors for others, and build systems that make opportunity possible.
For those of us working in people teams, that message lands with particular weight. We sit at the intersection of people, policy and culture and see the gaps that hold women back, but we also see the extraordinary potential that’s unlocked when those gaps are closed. Give to Gain resonates so strongly because it captures the spirit of what our function can and should do – create environments where women don’t just survive the workplace, but shape it.
For years, mentorship has been treated as a nice to have for women, a ‘perk’, something that sits politely on the edges of career development. Anyone who has ever benefited from a great mentor knows how transformational it can be. A single conversation at the right moment can change the way someone sees their own potential. Organisations still treat mentorship as an add-on rather than a structural advantage that should be designed into the way we grow talent.
Access to guidance and honest feedback is frequently concentrated among those already further up the ladder. Women who lack that proximity can find themselves navigating critical moments such as promotions, career changes or negotiations without the insight others take for granted. Mentorship gives people the insight, confidence and perspective that others often gain informally through proximity or networks.
A structured mentorship programme changes that dynamic. It broadens who receives support and therefore who is equipped to step into leadership roles. The knowledge harnessed through mentorship is often the decisive factor in career acceleration, yet it remains unevenly distributed. Working in the People & Culture team at BCD Meetings & Events means I’m in a position to help shape that access. If we don’t build the systems that level the playing field, those gaps don’t close on their own. At BCD M&E, we’re now in our third year of running our mentorship programme, ASPIRE. When people can learn directly from someone who has already taken the steps ahead of them, their confidence and capability grow quickly. This year, we invited senior leaders up to Vice President level to act as mentors, and that visible commitment from the top has mattered. The impact has been clear, with almost half of our recent cohort of mentees going on to secure promotions. ASPIRE also helped BCD M&E to be recognised as Best Agency by Fast Forward 15, the mentoring movement championing female talent in the events industry. When mentorship is done with intention, it delivers real results.
Give to Gain doesn’t stop at mentorship. Women’s careers are shaped by life stages that workplaces have historically ignored or minimised. Parenthood, menopause, fertility journeys, and more are defining chapters in women’s lives. If we want workplaces that genuinely reflect the breadth of talent available, we have to design for these realities rather than expecting women to quietly navigate them alone.
Policies help to signal to your employees whether they’re supported. At BCD M&E, this support is woven into our culture. Our menopause policy ensures women don’t have to choose between their health and their performance. Our soon-to-launch fertility policy recognises the emotional and logistical weight of treatment, and our ongoing work to better support parents, acknowledges that caregiving isn’t a detour from ambition but a part of many women’s leadership stories.
Within our P&C team, we feel strongly that these initiatives are the infrastructure that allows talent to stay, grow and lead. They’re a direct expression of the idea that when organisations invest in women at every stage, they gain stronger leaders and deeper loyalty. Progress starts with small, intentional actions – sharing experiences, offering guidance, or putting a policy in place that makes someone’s working life a little easier.
It’s important to make sure opportunities aren’t limited to those with the right networks, ensuring support isn’t dependent on who someone reports to, and creating an environment where women don’t have to push through major life moments alone. When those foundations are in place, confidence grows naturally and people step into roles they might once have hesitated to consider.
Influence is most effective when it’s shared. Senior leaders have the ability to make choices that open doors for others. Give to Gain simply asks us to use that influence with intention. If this year’s theme leaves us with anything, it’s the understanding that progress doesn’t come from one big moment. It comes from many people choosing, in small ways, to help someone else move forward. And that’s something worth carrying long after International Women’s Day.