The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘accelerate action’, inspiring us to drive meaningful progress towards gender equality. Change happens when we share our experiences, celebrate achievements, and uplift those around us.
At AIS, we recognise the incredible contributions of women across our business and the wider industry. We are committed to supporting and investing in our female employees, ensuring they have the opportunities and encouragement to thrive.
This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the inspirational women at AIS and sharing their perspectives on what this day means to them.
Read on to hear from some of the brilliant women here at AIS.
What career advice would you give to young women?
Taise Campos
Joined: 2022 as Temporary Quality Inspector
Currently: Design Assistant
Seek out new experiences and, whenever you have the opportunity, put forward your point of view, keeping an open mind. Be kind, rational and objective.
Esme Owen
Joined: 2023 as Graduate Development Chemist
Currently: Development Chemist
Trust your brain and intuition, even if you are the only female in the room. The disparity between genders in the workplace is real and not everyone will acknowledge that it's a problem.
Vicky James
Joined: 2017 as Global Sales Manager
Currently: Head of sales for Subsea Insulation
Don't set yourself limitations based on a perceived lack of the gender diversity within a company or industry. I have seen the improvements in gender diversity in chemical manufacturing and Oil and Gas sector has changed dramatically in the last 20 years and this will be sure to continue in these and many other industries in years to come!
What does IWD mean to you?
Thays Volpato
Joined: 2014 as Administrative Assistant
Currently: Corporate Services Manager
On this day I recognise that I can be who I want to be - it is all my choice!
Narine Taranyan
Joined: 2019 as Accounts Payable Assistant
Currently: Finance Business Partner
When I chose to study maths in university, many people told me: “Great, you can be a teacher, you will be home in the afternoon to cook and clean for the family”. No man in my maths class was ever told that. This was 20 years ago. The wording may have changed slightly, but many of us still hear these types of implications daily, even in England. The need for IWD and the #AcelerateAction campaign highlights the fact that the change is very slow and real gender parity will not be achieved in my lifetime.
Susan Hains
Joined: 2020 as Accounts Payable Assistant
Currently: Accounts Payable Manager
International Women's Day is a time for reflection for me - I think about my Grandmother and the supportive role she played in my Grandfather's businesses; I think a lot about my mother and how savvy she was with finances (she ended up owning quite a few properties) and even though she made all the money decisions in our family, she wasn't able to get a credit card "without" my dad's permission. I end up being very grateful for where I am and the time I'm living in.
Are there any women who inspire you?
Kerry Whitcher
Joined: 2014 as Project Administrator
Currently: Project Engineer
My sister, who is a primary school teacher. She works hard and her efforts shows, as her past students always comment on how she was always their favourite teacher in school. She is also a mum to two nearly teenage boys, where she is supportive with everything they do, standing out in the rain when the eldest plays football and taking on a coaching role in cricket to help the club that her youngest goes to. And then amongst all of that, she also finds time to play netball (at least twice a week), cricket and pilates. She is truly a super star!
Rachael Hobbs
Joined: 2017 as HR Assistant
Currently: HR Manager
Probably rather cliché but a few of my many inspirational women are Rosie Ramsey, Stacey Soloman, Camilla Luddington and Jessica Capshaw. They are true to themselves and advocate for other women. They show and prove that it doesn't matter what people think about you, just be you! As long as you are happy and achieving the goals you set for yourself, it doesn't matter how you get there or what you do in between, the important bit is YOU.
Plus, any working mum in the world is an inspiration! If they can do it, then so can I!
Thank you to all of the wonderful women at AIS who shared their stories. International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on how far we have come, and what we can do to continue making the world a more inclusive place. To find out more about this year’s theme please click here.
