In March, the world recognised International Women’s Day – a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. We are proud supporters of IWD, and for advancing equality for all, in every way we can.
“International Women’s Day is a great reminder for us to celebrate the women who have been integral to driving and shaping our company, “ says John Foss, founder of The Chia Co.
“We’ve always had strong, passionate women leading our brand and company – from leading our regional offices in General Manager positions to driving our marketing, innovation, sales, finance and operations.”
This year’s IWD theme – ‘Be bold for change’ – holds particular resonance with us here at The Chia Co. Since the very beginning, we have been bold in standing up for what we believe in: from equality of gender, race, age, religion and culture, to the rights for everyone to have access to healthy food and quality nutrition.
We are proud that there has been significant progress towards gender equality in recent decades, particularly in the workplace. However, there is still some ways to go. Women continue to earn less than men, are less likely to advance their careers as far as men, and accumulate less retirement or superannuation savings. At the same time, men have less access to family-friendly policies such as parental leave or flexible working arrangements than women.
“Accelerating equality for women at work is about more than just what happens in the workplace – it’s about how the workplace supports equality in all aspects of life. Parental leave schemes which give both mums and dads generous allowances are just one of the ways that we are trying to support this,” says John.
Meet a couple of our woman leaders:
Name: Cara Lindsay
Role: GM Asia Pacific since 2012
Favourite thing about your job: The women and men I get to communicate with every day. I am so lucky to work alongside passionate, intelligent individuals all around the world, that share similar values and are committed to The Chia Co. and all that we stand for and strive to achieve.
What does equality mean to you? That we all have a voice – whether that be in a meeting, the workplace or in society.
Name: Anne Walton
Role: GM for UK & Europe since 2013
Favourite thing about your job: Working with colleagues and customers every day about positive things, whether it’s health and wellness, commercial success or new ideas.
What does equality mean to you? When we think of and interact with someone just as a person rather than as their stereotype.
