Celebrating women on International Women's Day

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION  | 

Authored by RSM Canada


As regional leader for Canada of RSM’s STAR (Stewardship. Teamwork. Advancement. Retention) employee network group – and as a woman – I care very deeply about issues affecting women. At RSM, I’m particularly interested in helping to create a work environment that’s inclusive and welcoming to everyone.

Through our STAR ENG, we create opportunities to build up the women in our firm, helping them hone skills to make them successful in the workplace. But it doesn’t stop there. We offer training, education and networking opportunities to help women advance, and we have courageous conversations to build understanding and relationships. In fact, you can watch this “Inclusion Starts with I” video hosted by our Managing Partner and CEO Joe Adams with members of our STAR ENG for one of those recent discussions. And we celebrate one another’s successes.

Over the past few months, we’ve also celebrated many historical gender equity moments in the world at large. Kamala Harris making history as the first female (first black and first Asian-American) US vice-president stands at the top of that list.

Supporting and celebrating women’s rights is a year-round responsibility but on International Women’s Day, it’s even more important to take a stand for women’s equality. It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

In recognition of International Women’s Day, members of RSM International are showing their support of women on social media using #ChooseToChallenge. Marked annually on March 8, International Women’s Day is one of the most important days of the year to celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about women's equality, lobby for accelerated gender parity, and fundraise for female-focused charities.

In the words of Nancy Ruth, Canadian feminist, philanthropist and senator, “Building equality is lots of mortar and once in a while, a brick is put in place with lots more mortar. It is a lot of work and it takes time.”

In recognition of International Women’s Day, I find myself reflecting on the journey to equality women are on, while celebrating the strides that we’ve made. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating our successes while remaining focused on the road ahead.

Nicole Liesemer
Regional STAR Employee Network Group Leader for RSM Canada