International Women’s Day often centres around visibility, but the real work happens long before the spotlight.
This year at Impact, we explored this year’s International Women’s Day theme: Give To Gain, as a working principle.
We asked the women in our team what that really means in practice. What happens when women are supported properly? What changes when trust, time and opportunity are actively given?
The answers were practical, grounded, and consistent, and they revealed something important:
Support isn’t a “nice-to-have.” It drives performance.
For Jules Dosne, “Give To Gain” is about backing people early, especially when they’re still stepping into their potential. When trust, belief and time are invested, people grow faster.
And when people grow, businesses grow, because leadership isn’t just about direction, but sponsorship of the people that are part of that direction.
💬 “We keep brilliant people, we get better conversations and stronger decisions, and we build a culture that people want to be part of.”
Libby Minney (Assoc CIPD) described how structured support and proper training built her confidence in her first recruitment role.
💬 “Everyone at Impact has really taken the time to train and support me, especially as this is my first role in recruitment. Without them, I wouldn’t have learned how to spot the right candidates or ask the right questions to properly understand a role. They’re always there when I need help, and it’s honestly helped me build so much confidence – couldn’t have done it without them!”
Confidence doesn’t come from pressure, but investment by others. When early-career professionals feel supported, they take ownership faster, ask better questions, and perform better.
Lucy Simpson’s insight was simple but powerful:
Be generous with credit.
💬 “Shouting about someone’s contribution builds a culture where everyone feels seen and steps up more. A shoutout on LinkedIn costs nothing, but it can really boost someone’s confidence, visibility and opportunities.”
In fast-moving industries, good work can disappear quickly. Public recognition builds visibility, confidence and loyalty, and that builds culture.
Recognition costs nothing, but it compounds, and Lucy’s biggest thing she’s learnt is that giving someone your time (properly and consistently!) can significantly change the trajectory of their confidence.
Carly David entered recruitment in 2008 and the senior consultant who supported her instilled resilience, emotional intelligence and perspective.
That mentorship didn’t just shape her career. It shaped how she now leads. Now a mentor herself, Carly says:
💬 “Mentoring apprentices has made a real difference to both them and me. Taking the time to teach, guide and support junior talent helped build their confidence, and strengthened mine as a mentor. Seeing them grow, develop and go on to achieve bigger things has been incredibly rewarding and has made a lasting impact on my career, and hopefully on theirs too.
Generosity in leadership creates ripple effects that last years.
Nikita Backory highlighted something many organisations still struggle with: visibility.
Inviting women into key conversations. Including them in major projects. Ensuring they’re seen. These aren’t grand gestures. They’re daily decisions. And they shape progression.
💬 “To include women in all projects and in key conversations. Small actions can make a big difference!”
Michelle Davies shared how flexibility, trust and understanding made the difference when returning from maternity leave. Support during life transitions is where culture becomes real.
💬 “You keep great people in the building, and teams continue to thrive. Coming back after mat leave has reminded me how much difference flexibility, trust and a bit of real understanding make.”
Flexibility isn’t a perk. It’s a retention strategy.
Tsui-Sie Baker-Wong reminded us that even five minutes of focused time can change someone’s confidence trajectory.
💬 “Use of my time when training up a new colleague has made a real difference. Giving them a space to feel seen and heard allowed them to thrive in their role. 5 minutes out of your day may not seem significant, but for the person, it could mean a lot. “
Empathy isn’t soft. It’s connective, which in turn, drives performance.
When women are supported to thrive, organisations gain:
✅ Stronger retention ✅ Better decision-making ✅ Higher engagement ✅ More diverse thinking ✅ Increased innovation ✅ Sustainable performance
In recruitment, we see the downstream effects of culture every day.
Candidates leave environments where credit isn’t shared, trust is withheld, progression lacks clarity and flexibility is inconsistent.
Yet they stay where they feel backed, seen, challenged and supported.
The organisations that win in 2026 won’t be those with the loudest #InternationalWomensDay posts, but the ones where generosity is embedded in leadership behaviour all year round.
We welcome Bridget to the Impact team!
Bridget is an experienced recruiter and has joined Impact as our Principal Talent Partner. We are delighted to have Bridget on board and are in no doubt that she will have a fantastic career at Impact.
I moved to London from New Zealand and fell in love with it. Told Mum I would be back in 6 months and almost 10 years later I am still here. I now live in Berkshire with my partner and our kitten Toby. I love to travel, love a rainy Saturday spent in the pub even better if there is a game of Rugby on. Fell into Recruitment and went on to become top biller on both temp and perm desks whilst at Tate. Now looking forward to building my desk at Impact!
I chose Impact because I met the team and instantly felt like I was a part of something. Everyone is so warm and friendly and I knew I wanted to be a part of that. I also love working with Creative clients and that is where my experience lies so it felt like a perfect fit.
I am a Principal Talent Partner recruiting for permanent office support roles within Creative.
It has been fantastic so far! Already have jobs on and getting a hang of the system!
As corny as it sounds I hope to be able to place the best talent in the market and help people find their dream roles.
Describe your remit at Impact
I head up our Marketing and Creative team here at Impact working with fantastic clients across the creative sector. I oversee Marketing, Comms, Strategy, Digital, Brand and Social across Freelance and Perm. I also manage a busy Creative Team who cover all remits spanning – Design: Graphic, Motion, Digital, 3D, Animation etc across freelance and perm. Together we support one another and attend meetings to aid our knowledge and build our desks.
What does a day in the life of Impact’s marketing and creative lead look like?
Day to day we are all extremely busy working on a number of live roles for our clients. We meet top talent in the market and align their skills and preferences with our clients requirements. We attend regular client meetings to build relationships and really understand their business as well as meet our candidates to deep dive into their experience.
Describe the work culture and environment at Impact
Impact is brilliant – we are a mini family who all support one another and work as one to achieve our business and personal goals. Everyone is very genuine, passionate and wanting to do their very best!
Tell us about your best experience so far working with Impact
I have been at Impact coming up to 9 years and wow what a journey I have been on! I started out my whole career at Impact and have never looked back. I have been supported, trained and offered the opportunity manage teams, work with the best brands in the world and develop my own personal career. I have been on two Mat leaves since being at Impact and in both instances, welcomed back with open arms to a busy desk. Here is to the next 9 years….?
Where’s your favourite lunch spot?
Gosh, I love food and there are some great pop up lunch places near our offices I always have a nosy at! Aside from that, you can’t go wrong with a good old Pret wrap!
Desert Island Discs! What three songs can you not live without?
All Saints – Pure Shores
Tom Grennan – Here
Ed Sheeran – Give me love
I am so cheesy I know!
Share your number one tip you tell your candidates to help them get their next role!
PREPARE!!
Learn about the company, learn everything you can about the position, prepare how to sell yourself/your key skills, familiarise yourself with STAR method, prepare your answers, prepare your route – PREPARE! You can see more tips from our team on preparing for your next interview here.