This year, ZS celebrated International Women’s Day for a whopping 24 hours during a groundbreaking event spearheaded by our Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI). The event featured 24 consecutive hours of live programming across the globe, as local offices hosted interactive sessions covering a variety of topics, from educational discussions about the importance of women and equality in the workplace to fun trivia competitions to thought-provoking sessions centered on this year’s global theme #BalanceforBetter. Female and male ZSers alike were invited to join their local event in-person and live stream other offices’ events throughout the day.
Here’s how we celebrated:
Our Los Angeles office kicked off their celebration by writing postcards to the important women in their lives. They also welcomed guest speakers from Room to Read, a ZS Cares partners and non-profit organization that builds school libraries in Asia and Africa in support of girls’ education and children’s literacy. The speakers led a discussion about literacy rates among females and the importance of education in third-world countries.
The Frankfurt and Zurich offices teamed up to host a session on “finding your rebel girl,” inspired by Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. They also hosted a discussion about self-awareness, self-appreciation and the journey toward your goals featuring three inspiring guest speakers.
ZSers in Sao Paulo posted signs around their office with phrases that celebrate diversity, empowerment, gender parity and positive attitudes as part of this year’s global #BalanceforBetter theme.
Our Philadelphia office hosted a WLI-themed quizzo event where they challenged ZSers to learn more about women leaders in the arts and sciences.
ZSers in our Chicago office hosted a lunch and learn session with an inspiring female speaker who spoke about women leaders, the importance of male allies and her experiences as a senior executive and board member. They capped off the day with a champagne toast to the women of ZS.
International Women’s Day offered the perfect opportunity for ZSers in the Pune office to open the doors to the new “Experience Zone” in the office, where women can come together to bond, interact and network. The festivities featured motivating speeches from ZS leaders and guest speakers about the importance of the WLI, speaking with confidence and using your individual strengths and success to drive career advancement.
ZSers in Evanston gathered to watch an inspiring TED Talk by Laura Vanderkam about time management and discussed key takeaways—while indulging in a few sweet treats.
