FDM Celebrates International Women’s Day

FDM’s International Women’s Day celebrations varied across our global centres with quizzes, presents and sweet treats. 2019 prompted the world to think about the IWD theme which was #BalanceForBetter. The campaign looks at balance in business, in the boardroom, in media coverage and more. Here at FDM, we looked at this in the form of a postcard. From Singapore to Leeds, FDMers shared digital postcards with the women who inspired them in day-to-day life.

Our FDM International Women’s Day celebrations kicked off in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. In Hong Kong, the office discussed the #TogetHERwearestronger spin that FDM took on the global #BalanceForBetter campaign. In Australia, international women Hannah Dewar and Fiona McKerral reunited at the University of South Wales Annual Careers Expo. Last summer, Hannah Dewar left FDM Glasgow’s University Partnership team to relocate to our new office in Sydney to continue her work as a Recruitment Lead. Fiona took the chance to visit some career fairs in Australia during her travels. Our APAC office shared sweet treats as well as celebrating the women in their centres.

Next to start their day was our FDMers in Europe. In London, we hosted a networking lunch for internal staff and trainees to get to know some of FDM’s female leaders, learn more about their career stories and ask questions. The panel was made up of Kathryn Sadler- UK Commercial Director, Madeline Field – Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Nabila Aydin – Global Marketing Director, Lara Plaxton- Head of HR UK, and Melinda Dixon – Head of Learning and Development. 80 attendees networked and enjoyed a healthy lunch. In Leeds, the team attended the Yorkshire Ladies Links Be Inspired Conference where they met entrepreneurs, individuals looking for a career change and inspiring experts within their field.

In Brighton, the place where FDM first began, the team put together an International Women’s Day quiz which saw the centre win an array of prizes. In Germany, the Frankfurt team discussed the prejudices that women face as well as taking on the Balance for Better theme and having an open discussion as well as several women on the team discussing the issues they’ve faced since starting in a ‘male-dominant’ profession.

 Across the pond, our North American teams eagerly awaited to see what International Women’s Day had in store for them. A wine and cheese afternoon was held in both Toronto and New York. In the Big Apple, Tracy Panford, Laura Finneran and Sandi Fong from the NA Academy team and Kate Croucher the University Relationships Manager spoke about their experiences as women in the technology field.

Canadian Consultant Support Team Lead Gillian Hess and Account Executive Joelle McManus opened up an event in the Toronto centre, inviting female staff members and trainees to listen to remarks about their career journey and to fill out postcards thanking fellow colleagues who inspired them. The messages were delivered with chocolate on Monday morning.

Our COO Sheila Flavell shared words of wisdom during the day with a live Twitter chat discussing career advice and what #TogetHERwearestronger means to her.

International Women’s Day is a yearly celebration to celebrate women all over the world, and FDM is proud to be leading by example in our efforts to create a more gender-balanced workforce. We are committed to supporting and encouraging women to pursue a career in IT and by doing so have seen a consistent rise in women joining our company.

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