Today is International Women’s Day. At Emma Lewisham, we celebrate women across the board, from our customers, our team and our wider community. As a female-founded brand, we’re inspired and driven by the women we collaborate with daily. As an ode to them, we have asked members of our team what IWD means to them, how they have felt empowered by women, and what it's like working in a predominantly female team at Emma Lewisham. 

Emma Lewisham 

What is your role at Emma Lewisham?

I am one of the founders and lead Emma Lewisham skincare.

As a female-founded company, what are your core values, and how has that come through and changed as the company has grown?

We are a culture of warmth, presence, connection, respect and transparency. We believe in seeking excellence in everything we do and have a mission to be the best skincare brand in the world. We believe that through our work, we can make a difference and leave the planet in a better state than we’ve found it. I feel that as we have grown, we have attracted more people who connect with our values and support our resolve.

What does International Women's Day personally mean to you?

For me, International Women’s Day is reflecting on those women who have been instrumental and stood up for change, women who have been pioneers and innovators, and inspired us all by showing there are no limits to what we can achieve. It is also a day to reflect on my role and responsibility, which I believe all women have, for promoting change, diversity, and equality. Like the women before us, we still need to stand up. It is about each of us, fighting for equality, for all of us. In the words of Beyonce, “ unless we are all free and equal, none of us are.”

What is a women’s empowerment moment that has inspired you?

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a top student at Harvard Law School and tied for number one at Columbia Law School, where she later transferred. Despite this, Ginsburg did not receive job offers from top firms or law schools. The idea that she was deprived of those opportunities because of her gender, despite her abilities, is hard to accept. The fact that she never gave up and not just went on to be successful herself but helped to create opportunity for everyone, men and women, was extraordinarily meaningful and inspirational to me.

How does working in a predominantly female in-house team differ to other businesses you have worked for?

My previous role was as a senior executive at a Japanese multinational technology company. I worked predominantly with men.

I love the contrast. We are a team of extremely talented, kind, empathetic people, who uplift others. There is so much depth and substance to the team which I’m so grateful to be surrounded by.

Arishma Chand

What is your role at Emma Lewisham?

My role is Warehouse Management System Specialist, for Emma Lewisham, I oversee integration, optimisation requirements and any daily technical troubleshoot.

What does International Women's Day personally mean to you?

It is a day where we celebrate women diversity, recognising their impressive work, celebrating the achievements and progression women are continuing to have in today’s society.

What is a women’s empowerment moment that has inspired you?

When our own country elected the youngest female leader in the world and the youngest prime minister in 150 years. Also the most recent, working with Emma Lewisham - led by Emma, the flourishing of this business from day one to what it is today has been very empowering.

How does working with a predominantly female in-house team differ to other businesses you have worked for?

Sharing one goal, one story (beauty), diverse cultures and ethnicity with great innovation.

Isabella Caselberg

What is your role at Emma Lewisham?

Head of Retail Sales and Marketing. 

What does International Women's Day personally mean to you?

An opportunity to recognise and celebrate social, cultural and political achievements of women, marking the progression of women's rights worldwide.

It also provides an opportunity to spotlight areas of inequality, driving conversation and movements to create change. 

In Italy, they acknowledge International women's day by giving each other a yellow mimosa blossom. Women give to women, and men to the women in their lives. It’s their way to recognise women’s contribution to society - I like that. 

What is a women’s empowerment moment that has inspired you?

Maya Angelou's reciting of On The Pulse Of The Morning at the Clinton presidential Inauguration, which she went on to win an academy award for. Maya Angelou was the second poet in history to read a poem at a presidential inauguration and the first African American woman. The poem incites a sense of unity and responsibility towards other people and the planet. 

I find this a particularly inspiring moment as it defines Maya Angelou's resilience and perseverance to overcome significant trauma and struggles that came with being an African American woman living in America during this time, which lead her to become one of the most influential women of her lifetime. 

How does working in a predominantly female in-house team differed to other businesses you have worked for?

I have been fortunate enough to work with several extremely strong and inspiring women throughout my career so far. Each has taught me something different but the most powerful; the value of empathy and kindness in business. 

Anna Southwell 

What is your role at Emma Lewisham?

I work on the marketing and social media for Emma Lewisham, along with my team at Mark by South. We do everything from brand strategy, creative direction, photoshoots, window displays, content creation and wider design for the brand. 

What does International Women's Day personally mean to you?

IWD is an opportunity for us to collectively get together and appreciate those women who have put their necks out to strive for change, and to celebrate women who have been trailblazers in their chosen fields. It's a day to further develop my understanding of the global inequality issues and help those campaigning for equality in any way that I can. 

What is a women’s empowerment moment that has inspired you?

Becoming a mum for the first time made me aware of the sacrifices my mother made to be a stay at home mum. I am incredibly grateful in 2021 that I am able to raise my son but also work full time in a field that I love and continue to build my career.

How does working with a predominantly female in-house team differ to other businesses you have worked for?

I have always worked in predominantly female teams – and at each workplace I've learned something different from the inspiring women I've worked alongside. At Emma Lewisham, there’s a mutual respect for everyone on the team and as a collective, we have achieved some incredible things. I love that there’s a huge emphasis on spotlighting incredible women who are innovators and pioneers in their industry – some of which we interview in the EL Changemaker series.