To mark International Women’s Day at Fairgrove, we asked a few of our female colleagues to share stories about women who have recently inspired them in their professional or personal lives. We received a variety of responses, ranging from female authors, entrepreneurs, and even ex-colleagues that have positively influenced our colleagues’ lives, both inside and outside the office!
Ellie Spicer, Associate
“Three women who have particularly inspired me in the last year are:
- Yvonne Bajela: one of the Founding Members of Impact X Capital Partners, a venture capital fund which invests in companies predominantly led by underrepresented individuals, such as black female entrepreneurs.
- Nadine Puechguirbal: a former gender advisor to the UN peacekeeping operation in Haiti, who has written some incredibly insightful articles about the experiences of women within male-dominated international institutions and how best to navigate these spaces.
- Courtney Daniella: a 24-year old Cambridge graduate, entrepreneur and blogger who discusses diversity and equality (particularly within education) on social media and has written some columns for The Guardian.
These women have all excelled in their respective fields, and I have been continually impressed and inspired by their work to help other women achieve similar success!”
Sofiya Ben, Associate
“I am inspired by someone I used to work with at my previous job – Rachel Gardner-Poole. I was impressed by the way Rachel was able to pick up complex topics and drive forward business innovation. I’ve learnt that no matter where you are in your career, it’s important to stay curious and down to earth.”
Sophie Paine, Associate
“I’m particularly inspired by Helena Morrissey, whose book ‘A Good Time to be a Girl’ argues that women should be equally valued for the traits and values they bring to the table, rather than conforming to the existing paradigm.
Instead of suggesting that women “lean in” and be overly assertive, Morrissey makes a powerful case for reinventing the way we think about who and what should be valued. I strongly recommend this book to any woman (or man!) who values diversity and difference in the workplace.”
Daria Smirnova, Senior Associate
“I think Anu Duggal, the founding partner of Female Founders Fund, is very inspiring. Anu started the movement to diversify venture capital and played an instrumental role in not only investing in female founders but shifting the VC industry as a whole to make more investments in female-founded companies. I also love that Anu is a woman of diverse passions – prior to founding the Female Founders Fund, she attended a cooking school in France, started India’s first wine bar, co-founded a private-sale e-commerce fashion company, and a dance fitness and media company.”
Photo: Becca Tapert / Unsplash
