This International Women’s Day, we stepped forward.

Last week, AllBright took over The Design Museum with our partners, Boden, Rituals, Pandora, British Business Bank and Simpsmiths, to host our very first Step Forward Summit and it was a day to remember. At AllBright we believe in the power of the collective, the power of sisterhood and last week, we proved that when we come together, amazing things happen.

We know the need for action around gender equality has never been more important. Our goal was to connect women from around the world meaningfully, to champion businesses leading the way and make a positive change towards gender balance. So, we brought together over 200 women from our community to spark the conversation for a more equal world with 26 panellists, who are some of the world’s most influential and inspiring people.

Empowering Women & The Power of Authenticity

For the first panel of the day we were joined by four incredible women who are each owning their own authenticity in their chosen fields. They each defined what authenticity means to them, with Psychotherapist & Bestselling Author Anna Mathur, sharing that it boils down to finding ways to honour who you really are, while Chloe Pierre, Author & Founder of the wellness platform thy.self, believes that true authenticity is when you figure out who you are, own it and demand that you are seen in that way with the respect you know you deserve.

Also joining this panel were Author, Broadcaster & Philanthropist Katie Piper, and Broadcaster, Motivational Speaker & Body Confidence Activist Malin Andersson, who discussed self confidence. Katie shared that in her experience self confidence comes with getting out there and living life, removing that fear of trying to control whatever happens. Malin added that sometimes we need to strip back to our childhoods, before we had any external pressures put on us. She explained that "if we take away all the layers we understand who we really are, what we really want and that’s who we are."

Investing In Women: The Benefits Beyond ROI

Moderated by British Business Bank’s CIO Shanika Amarasekara, our second panel of the day consisted of leaders in the financial sector discussing what we can do to make sure women have a seat at the leadership table. Dama Sathianathan, partner at Bethnal Green Ventures, stated that access to networks is one of the most fundamental problems in the investment industry while Jessica Warch, co-founder of Kimai, implored new founders who were scared to reach out to their peers to just do it, that you should never be afraid to make connections that could be invaluable in the future.

Eva Alexandridis, founder of 111skin, and Gillian Fleming, Co- Founder & CEO Mint Ventures Angel Syndicate, discussed the worrying statistic that men are 3 times less likely to back a female founder. Gillian added that women are often branded as being risk averse, but actually have a heightened risk awareness which makes us better investments.

Women Shaping Sustainable Lifestyles

The next panel was all about sustainability. Moderated by Activist, Educator & Podcaster, Ben Hurst who led a motivating discussion about how we can instil the practice of sustainability in our own lives. Taking the stage was model and environmentalist, Arizona Muse who stripped down the enormity of climate activism to embracing those around you and acknowledging that everyone is on their own journey. Sustainable fashion advocate, Presenter, Personal Stylist and Former Vogue UK Retail Editor, Virginia Chadwyck-Healey left us with the sentiment of “less shaming, more nurture” when it comes to getting people to care about sustainability. While managing Director of Rituals Cosmetics, Penny Grivea reminded us that sustainable well-being starts with you, and to slow down and take a step back from the noise.

The Future of Leadership: Supporting Senior-Level Women in the Workplace

After lunch we jumped right back into it with an inspiring talk about the future of leadership and the importance of supporting senior-level women in the workplace. With AllBright’s CEO leading the conversation, Kanya King CBE, founder of the MOBO awards, took us on a journey of her relentless dedication to her goals and urged us to not underestimate our abilities. Allan Leighton, Chair of The Co-Operative Group communicated the importance of retaining talent while Chris Grant, chair of The British Basketball Federation, stated that the focus should be on educating men to make space for talented women to move up and that their businesses would thrive for it.

Lift As You Climb

Our Fifth panel stepped forward for sisterhood in action and the power of mentorship. With our event host, Angelica Malin, at the reins, Award-Winning Writer, Comedian & Broadcaster, Viv Groskop and CEO of Smart Works, Kate Stephens, discussed how sisterhood permeates every step of our lives and how we can be better advocates for each other. Kate asserted that being there for other women and backing them works, and that our Summit and Smart Works itself, a charity that helps unemployed women back into the workplace, was proof of that. Viv added that we must look less at the people who aren’t helping and be grateful for the people who are, she left us with the motto “lift as you climb.”

Cultural Change & Dismantling Gender Norms

For our penultimate panel we were joined by four panellists who centre their lives and careers around cultural change and dismantling patriarchal norms. Daniele Fiandaca, founder of Token Man Consulting, expressed his passion for educating men on the issues that women face in the workplace stating “no minority had effected change without the support of the majority.” Nadine Noor, Creative Producer, Artist and Cultural Consultant, conveyed how vital it is to create safe spaces for minorities and build a community based on collectivism instead of individualism, while Sophia Smith-Galer reported the need to educate young people on issues that affect them with complete transparency. Professor Geeta Nargund, Co-founder of Ginsburg Women’s Health Board, Senior NHS Consultant & Medical Director, left us with the action of destigmatising women’s health in the workplace, stating that we must support women in all issues from mental health, menstrual struggles and fertility issues.

Identity, Intersectionality & Equity For All

The electrifying final panel of the day engaged us in a discussion about identity, intersectionality and equity for all with Chief Business Officer of Condé Nast Britain & Vogue European Business, Vanessa Kingori OBE, in conversation with Activist, Model, Author, Broadcaster & British Vogue contributing Editor, Munroe Bergdorf. In their discussion, they articulated how important community is. They spoke on the idea that when you’re at the top, you must recognise if you’re pulling the ladder up behind you and that it is our responsibility to tear apart the notion that there is limited space at the top.

AllBright would like to thank the 200 women who dedicated their time to stepping forward with us. This event has proved that small, individual actions can combine for big results. If every one of us takes a Step Forward for gender equality, together we can move mountains. We wish we had space for all of our community but if you missed out, you can watch all the panels on demand now!